


The Redemption of Rick Grimes

by aletter2elise



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Daryl was never abused in this story, Elements of I Am Legend, Elements of Resident Evil, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Flashbacks, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Rick is younger than Daryl, Rick's dreams are memories, because in real life Andrew Lincoln is younger than Norman Reedus, but Rick was
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 12:26:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 42,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5334041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aletter2elise/pseuds/aletter2elise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick wakes up to a world he never thought would become a reality. He meets a survivor along the way looking for his own purpose. Will Rick's past destroy his new found friendship with Daryl? Will Daryl ever find his brother? Is there hope for Rick and Daryl to have a future together? More importantly, will Rick change from the man he used to be to the man he can be?</p><p> </p><p>  <b>*Story also has artwork and soundtrack*</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Am Rick

**Author's Note:**

> I'm more an artist then writer, but this story/idea in my mind would not go away. It was begging for me to put it into words. I'm writing this fiction as I go along. My grammar isn't the best so all mistakes are mine. I do apologize. If someone out there in cyberspace would like to be my beta, that would be awesome.
> 
> Artwork for this fiction can be found here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/5482076/chapters/12666731  
> Soundtrack Video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPZTOYodF2w

 

 

...Awake.

…..Awake.

 

….....AWAKE!

His eyelids felt heavy but he had to open then. It was a blur of colors.

The blur all around him started to slowly clear up. He was lying naked on a tiled shower floor. He must have been there for quite some time because the running water was ice cold, chilling him to the very marrow of his bones. His skull felt like he got hit hard with a sledgehammer.

_How did I get here?_

_Did I slip and hit my head?_

_Did I just pass out?_

_I can't remember._

His surroundings were obviously a bathroom. The interior was of marble floors, chrome fixtures and hardware as far as the eye can see. He tried to will his body to stand up, but his legs felt like going through thick molasses.

There was a oval mirror above the sink close by so he forced himself to move toward it. Wiping the fogged mirror, he looked to see his reflection. He knew the face, but what was the name? He traced his right hand to what looked to be a bullet wound on his left side of his ribcage long ago healed.

_When did I get shot?_

_Why can't I remember?_

Looking around he walked to the doorway the lead to the bedroom. Laying on the bed was a uniform of some kind. It was well tailored. All black with a red and white umbrella symbol on each side of the upper sleeves. There were black laced up boots beside the bed with that just polished shine. A cop uniform perhaps? He figured he would try it on. No sense in just standing there all day cold and naked, memory or not. It was the perfect fit. Maybe the clothes were his and he was indeed a cop.

Walking around from room to room, his eyesight clearing up even more to behold a beautiful large mansion. In a contemporary yet classic style. Full of fancy furnishings and tasteful artwork. The colors on the walls all seem to be different shades of dark gray.

_Is this where I live?_

_If so this wouldn't have been my choice in color._

_That sounded so gay._

On a table nearby, in the grand hallway, was a picture frame. He quickly picked it up to see the photo. There he was with a man with a fancy haircut, silver sideburns, and devilish looking smile. They both were in tuxedos holding champagne glasses for a toast. Was he an old friend? A co-worker? A lover? He still couldn't comprehend. The headache that would not fade since he woke up seemed to get worse the more he tried to regain his memories.

There was something else on the table that caught his eye. A note. It read: **“Today all your wildest dreams will come true.”**

He found a pen on the table and started writing the sentence to see if the handwriting was his own. It didn't match.

_Someone wrote this note, but who?_

_The man in the picture?_

_Maybe._

Distracted from his thoughts, he all of the sudden heard a strange faint whistle sound and an object nearby crash on the floor. He quickly turned around. A curtain over a nearby window blow due to a strong gust of wind.

“Hello? Is anyone in here?”

No one answered. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. His gut told him that something's was wrong. It was quiet. Too quite. Inside the house and outside. No sound of birds chirping. No sound of car engines or lawnmowers, No sound of endless chatter from neighbors. There was nothing.

He quickly looked into cabinets and drawers all over inside the house to find a gun, a knife, anything!

_I need protection._

_It's vital._

_Where is this coming from?_

He finally looked into the dresser table in the bedroom. Opening it, he quickly jumped back.

“Sweet Jesus! What the hell?”

It was a locked glass display of guns not standard to civilian cops, more to fit an army soldier. Within the case was also a gold badge. He needed to unlock the case but how? There was a code key on the glass. He dialed a 4 digit number. The case opened.

_I remember!_

_I remember the code!_

He held up the badge to read the inscription.

**Rick Grimes Chief of Security.**

_That is my name!_

_I remember now!_

_It was the knock out gas security system that did it._

_It's goes airborne in the mansion when there's a security breach._

_Somehow, someone or something set it off._

Rick looked at his choices of weaponry. Out of all the pistols , hand guns, a sub machine guns, he went straight for the Colt Python. The cool metal fit like a glove in his hand. Like it was made for his hands only.

Rick stood up and rushed to the main entryway of the house. He unlocked and opened the large red doors, ready to run only to be stopped at his tracks at what his eyes were seeing.

All around the neighborhood looked like a scene from World War II.

Dead bodies seem to be everywhere. Their flesh torn to bits from their corpses. The smell of rotted guts all around him was nauseating. There were homes broken into and some torched by flames. Why was the mansion still standing, he did not know. Some of the cars on the streets were wrecked. Faint smoke in the air coming from the city of Atlanta in the distance. The evidence of fire and bombing can be clearly seen on what was left of its skyscrapers. A military tank in the suburban street corner covered in blood and traces of explosive powder.  
Rick gasp at the sight, covering his mouth with his hand.

_Is this really happening?_

_I'm not seeing this!_

Rick put his face down into his hands.

_Wake up! Wake up!_

Rick could hear the faint sound of footsteps in the street. He looked up then. On his right hand side there she was. A child in a pink bathrobe holding a stuffed white bear in her hand. He could not see her face so he hurried over to the street corner where she walked very slowly.

Rick wanted to get her attention. He didn't want to spook her so he took small steps to her direction.

“Hey little girl. I'm a policeman. Don't be afraid”.

“Little girl?”

Only it wasn't a little girl that turn around and looked him square in the eyes. This was something else. She looked just like the corpses lying dead on the ground. Only she was walking. No. Walking faster toward Rick, moaning and growling, clawing her hands in the air reaching out to attack him.

Rick quickly drew his gun from it's holster and shot her dab smack in the forehead. The living dead girl fell flat to the ground, blackened blood oozing out of her head.

Rick lowered his arm. The look of shock on his face.

He felt like he was in some sick dream, a nightmare he couldn't wake up from.

Whoever wrote that note was right. His wildest dreams were coming true.


	2. I Am Daryl

Daryl Dixon drove his beat up rusted blue Chevy truck on a small open road in the Ozarks of Southern Missouri. His brown and white pit bull Jackson, in the passenger side smelling out the window for signs of life.

It was the end of the world, the undead ruled the earth, but the countryside road felt like an old friend and nothing could take that away from him.

Before the turn, Daryl was just another redneck mechanic. Worked for a bike shop alongside his big brother Merle in a small miserable old town that no one has ever heard of. Nobody in their town gave a shit about them not even their Father. It was just Daryl and Merle, looking out for each other all their lives. Looking at the world like it was their oyster. And then it suddenly happened.

The dead were walking the earth. No bills to worry about paying. No waking up late for work. No rush hour traffic. No shopping at grocery stores. No Army. No Government. Not a human in sight. Daryl was just there surviving it somehow.

Carefully avoiding walkers on the road, Daryl drove about 18 miles out to Mark Twain National Forest. He had his trusted crossbow and rifle by his side in the driver's seat. It was that time again to hunt for food. Even though Daryl had plenty of canned goods in his secluded home in the opposite direction, he was getting sick and tired of eating beans.

“Whaddaya see?” he asked Jackson.

The dog was sniffing fiercely at the air. His eyes locked on his target hidden in the nearby trees. Daryl started to slow down and turn off the engine of his truck.

Daryl knew quite well his trusted companion had a strong sense of smell and sharp eyes. After all, great trackers think alike.

Quietly getting out of his truck, Daryl and Jackson slowly walked into the woods. Like Indians, they were that keen. Alert to their surroundings. Not leaving anything unnoticed. At last, he saw his prize. A doe grazing in a nearby meadow. Slowly they creeped closer and hid in a large shrub covered in honeysuckle.

Just as Daryl was about to shoot an arrow straight into the doe's heart, a walker suddenly came out of nowhere and attacked the deer.

Daryl rose up from his hiding place and rushed to the scene before him.

“The fuck u do! Tha's my kill!”

He grabbed his knife out of his holster on his belt and stabbed the walker in the head. But it was too late. The deer was already bit in the neck. She laid there struggling for breath, making crying noises.

Jackson started barking at the doe. Daryl shushed him quietly and the obedient pit bull obeyed.

Daryl stood above the doe and pondered.

_Maybe I can cut around this chewed up part right here?_

_I wouldn't risk it. Get infected._

The doe's body started to spasm near his feet. She was in pain. Food or not, Daryl couldn't bear no more to see the poor thing suffer.

“O' hell”.

In one swift move, he stabbed her in the head, ending her misery.

“Tha's a shame”.

As the day progressed, Daryl ended up with a few squirrels stringed up over his shoulder. The sun was starting to go down. Daryl looked up to the sky. It was getting very late. He knew it wasn't a good idea to be out at night. The walkers seem to multiply in herds at night and can attack you when you had no clear visibility.

“Let's go Jackson”. Daryl called.

Jackson ran from his tracking spot after his master. Daryl kept his crossbow close to his side, ready for anything to approach. They hopped into the Chevy and headed back to home.

~~~~~  
The drive was a quiet one and Daryl has nonsense on his mind. Things like he needed to learn how to grow a garden. The boxes of bullets in his dining room cabinet were getting low. He needed to find towns that he didn't scavenge already for supplies.

He drove up to a run down old cabin that once belonged to Merle. He wasn't dead, just gone. The end of the world happened so fast. Daryl was at the bike shop when the shit hit the fan. Merle played hooky from work that day so Daryl quickly drove to the cabin after him. He was nowhere in sight. No trace of his brother anywhere. So the cabin was Daryl's now.

Daryl took he usual safety precautions as he walked up the steps of his beat up wood porch. He started spraying lighter fluid on the steps. Putting the lighter fluid bottle back into his backpack, he unlocked to door of the cabin. Closing the door, and quickly locking it back up after Jackson and himself were inside. He checked his electric fuse box in the hallway inspecting the switches. He looked out the window of his backyard to see if the wooden spears outside his fences had any new walkers caught in them. Satisfied to see nothing, he finished his inspection of the cabin for any signs of a break in.

As always, there were none. It almost made Daryl sad. Why was that? Perhaps because Merle never had any real friends stop by for a visit. Maybe he was missing his brother more then he thought. Or maybe it was the fact that Daryl was starting to believe that he was the only living human being left on the planet. He can't complain. It wasn't all lonely. At least he had Jackson.

Dinner consisted of the squirrels Daryl caught that day along with some canned mixed vegetables and a bottle of Budweiser.  
Daryl made up a plate of the squirrel and vegetables for Jackson. The dog kept nuzzling his nose on Daryl's leg for attention.

“Here ya go. Jus' how ya like it. Nice an' disgustin.” Daryl said, setting the plate down on the kitchen floor.

Jackson pawed at his food going straight for the meat.

“Better eat ur veggies. I ain't kiddin”. Daryl smirked.

The pit bull just gave him a glace, licked his jawline and went back to chewing his meal.

It made Daryl smile even more. It was the little things that meant so much in this world that ended.

 _The end of the world._ Daryl thought over and over.

_Didn't have to end like this._

_Am I really the last man standing?_

_No! I won't believe it._

_My brother is out there somewhere._

_He wouldn't leave me behind unless there is a good reason._

_There has to be others left._

Daryl hated to admit he felt hopeful. Despite everything that has happened, he still felt hope. He had been thinking about it a lot. Exploring out of Missouri to find Merle and other survivors. He had no idea where to start. New York? DC? Philly?

A million questions on his mind, but Daryl only need one right answer.

Daryl would have his answer soon, because somewhere out there in this new dark world, there was another survivor who was going to find hope of his own.


	3. Starting over in Georgia.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick is trying to figure it all out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this story is starting out slowly, but I wanted to give you good readers a look into Rick and Daryl's new found lives before they meet. No worries, these two gorgeous men will be meeting very soon. I have some great ideas in store for the next two chapters and hope to post them this coming weekend. I'm a slow writer. In fact, this chapter alone took all day! Once again all crappy grammar and mistakes are mine, but I do hope you enjoy this anyway. :)

It was a damp and foggy morning. The early dawn rising to welcome the day. The trees were starting to lose there leaves due to the natural cycle of autumn. All that remained was the Spanish moss covering the branches like a plague.

A tall man stood in the middle of a late 19th century cemetery. He was dressed in an Armani suit and black trench coat. He took a look at his wrist watch, waiting for his contact. Whoever this person was, they were 5 minutes late.

Finally a vehicle appeared in the distance of the mist. A cream colored Toyota Corolla, but that was not important. A shorter man stood out of the car and started walking toward his impatient contact. He was also dressed in business attire, but far from an Armani suit. He also wore a trench coat, but in the shade of sandalwood.

They both stood face to face. The shorter man started to speak.

“Did you know the ancient Egyptians used to shave their eyebrows to mourn the death of their cat?”

“Makes you wonder what they shaved off when a relative died.” the tall man replied.

They both started to chuckle.

“Not my choice in secret messages, but everyone needs a hobby. I'm Milton Mamet”. He said extending he hand.

“Rick Grimes.” the taller man shock his hand back.

“I'm sorry we had to finally meet under these circumstances, but I'm afraid we are running out of time”. Rick said has he started to scan around the area for any signs of suspicious ears waiting to hear their private meeting.

“Are you still interested in this new information I'm about to tell you?” Rick asked.

“I'm a journalist Rick, I'm always interested in a good story.” Milton said, eager to hear more.

“I'm going to get right to the point Mr. Mamet. If we are going to go through this, we are going all the way. You get me?” Rick said.

“All the way.” Milton swore.

“I can give you access inside The Umbrella Corporation. I have access to it's secrets, security, the works, but there's a price.” Rick waited for Milton to answer.

“Name it!” Milton demanded.

Rick took a deep breath. “You have to promise me that you will bring this Corporation down.”

Beep! Beep!...Beep! Beep!...

 

BEEP! BEEP! ...Smack!

Rick woke up and started to rub the sleep from his eyes. He squinted his gaze at the alarm clock and made a groggy noise. It was always the same dream. He was standing in the cemetery, making some pack with this Milton person. It seemed never ending.

He reached for his Colt Python gun out from under his pillow. He always slept with it nearby since that tragic day outside the mansion.

“Get out of my head.” he said in a gravelly voice as he started tapping the barrel of the gun to his temple.

It didn't make much since to him, but this would not go away. Dreams have meaning, they had importance, and this was too important to ignore.

Rick finally decided that it was time to get out of bed; shower, shave, brush his teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast and get started on his daily chores.

Since that day after he shot that little girl walker and pulled himself together, he started packing what he felt he needed out of the mansion. Rick did not want to stay another minute longer in that horrible place. It just didn't feel like that was his home and he belonged there. That place felt more like a tomb.

He went for his clothes, any food and bottled water left in the house, the weapons, and even his gold badge. He also took the photo of himself with the mystery man. Rick had that same feeling in his gut again. That this man in the picture had great importance. In someway, somehow this person was the missing piece to the puzzle.

There was also a set of car keys on the table. Rick grabbed them and went straight for the garage. Inside, there was a black Cadillac Escalade. He packed the car with his things and drove away never looking back.

Rick had suspicions of the knock out gas used in the mansion was more the just that. His mind was like swiss cheese. Too many holes and gaps missing and slowly he was regaining his memories of the person he used to be from his past.

Rick remembered he had a wife once. Her name was Lori. She had long brown hair. He remembered that she died in a car accident long before the turn. He also remembered a small boy. His son. His name was Corey... no Carl. Rick couldn't remember if the boy also died in the car crash or if he was alive somewhere trying to find his father. Rick had no photos of his son so he drew a pencil shading of Carl. It made Rick discover he had a talent for art. Rick tried not to think about his family from the past too much. Those memories were too painful. A reminder of all the things he loved most taken from him.

Two years have passed, and Rick settled himself in a cozy renovated Victorian style home just outside of the Atlanta city limits. He managed to keep the house safe from walkers by building strong steel fences all around the property. Not many walkers were in sight during the day time, but for some odd reason they seem everywhere at night.

As the months went on, Rick started making necessary changes to his new home. He set up the house with about a dozen generators down in the basement so the home had electric power. To not waste it, he also set up solar panels on the roof of the house. He was blessed to have clean running water, so that meant nice hot showers every day. The backyard had a small orchard of fruit trees. Rick had all the apples, pears, and cherries he could eat.

When going on runs for supplies, Rick would collect any and every self help book he can find. Rick wanted to learn skills on everything from plumbing and mechanics to sewing and gardening which he soon developed a green thumb for planting tomatoes and beans.

Things seemed to be turning around for Rick. His memory was getting better as well, but the process of remembering was just too slow and it frustrated Rick something awful. But something good did come out of saving that framed photo Rick took out of the mansion. One afternoon, while he was in the living room folding clothes from the drying line outside, he looked at the picture frame on the fire mantle. It was only a quick upward glace, but it triggered a flashback.

**It was the same old boring party. The same people dressed in expensive evening wear. The same nonsense flapping out of people's mouths. The same drunk mindless laughter. Rick was leaning on a wall in the far back corner of the banquet hall, nursing his champagne glass yawning at the sight. He wanted nothing more then to leave. Just then a well dressed silver haired man started chiming his champagne glass with a butter knife from the buffet table wanting to grab everyone's attention. The older looking man started to speak. There was a cheerful smooth tone in his voice.

“Quiet down everyone. I would like to make a toast. Not only to our lovely hostess, Andrea Harrison for throwing this fabulous party, but to all of you, my lovely employees for making The Umbrella Corporation a great success. And with these new contracts we will be presenting to are friends in Asia, I am confident that our company is on it's way to great and glorious future. To The Umbrella Corporation.” the silver haired man finished, holding up his glass.

“To The Umbrella Corporation.” everyone shouted in unison, extending their glasses up as well.

Rick slowly held up his glass then took a large gulp of champagne and swallowed hard. He eyed his boss who made the toast. There was a look of disdain in Rick's face as he watched him in all his self arrogance. A smug look across the older man's face as he immersed himself in conversation with fellow colleagues.

 _This is going too far._ Rick thought to himself.

_The money doesn't matter anymore._

_First the Russians and now the Chinese?_

_What's next the Middle East?_

_I can't let him get away with this._

_Too many innocent lives are at stake.**_

 

Rick shook his head out of his thoughts.

_What did I mean but that?_

_Money?_

_Innocent lives at stake?_

_What exactly were these contracts with China all about?_

_More importantly, why can't I remember that stupid man's name from that stupid picture?!_

“Grr...Uh!” Rick let out his frustration. His mind was starting to hurt yet again. At least now he knew that the man in the picture was his boss and that they worked together, but still no clue of his name.

Rick remembered all the old newspapers he collected and read over and over. He was starting to get a better understanding about what exactly Umbrella did in this “Corporation” of there's as well as what was happening from the very beginning of the dead roaming the earth.

From many articles, Rick found out that The Umbrella Corporation was the world's leading supplier of pharmaceutical drugs, medical supplies, blood, blood products, and even weapons to the military.

There were also news columns of people getting sick all over larger cities around the globe. Articles telling people to stay in their homes and the less contact with other people, the better. There was no real answer to how the infection spread. No one knew if it was through contact with another person, through blood and body fluids, or if it was simply airborne. The infection spread like locust. People would show signs of endless rough coughing, fever, clammy skin, and blood seeping out of their tear ducts. Some would go under cardiac arrest before dying. Most just quickly passed out and never woke up. Only they didn't stay dead.

That night, Rick was sitting at the kitchen table swirling his spoon around his burnt up bowl of Dinty Moore beef stew. How can a person burn up a can of stew? Heat then eat should be easy, but Rick was a lousy cook. He can't even make toast. But Rick's mind wasn't on food. He kept thinking long and hard of his flashback. Rick knew somehow that Umbrella, his boss, the infection, the walkers, and himself were all connected. There still wasn't enough to go on.

Rick also thought about the time when he found a radio station on one of his supply runs. Inside it looked like any other radio broadcasting studio, but something in the room caught his eye. A frequency radio. Rick decided to try it out. Amazingly it worked and just then, Rick had an idea. He can try to find other survivors. It was worth a shot. He had nothing to lose. He made a recorded message and set the radio to play it repeatedly in hopes that someone out there will hear it and find Rick in Atlanta.

That was 6 months ago and no one sent a reply back. No one came to meet him. Rick was realizing now in this new dystopian world for the dead, this new hell for the living, that there was no one left in this earth to call for.

It was just Rick.

Alone.

Forever.

The fates were at work in this present time. At this very moment, about 900 miles from Georgia, there was another who was deep in thoughts of his own.


	4. Starting over in Missouri.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl is trying to figure it all out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy you folks are liking my story! The best is yet to come. Emotions will be heavy and do I dare say there will be some smut? Sit tight folks. I will do my best to finish chapter 5 and post it asap! :)

 

Daryl was lounged on his brother's old faded green recliner, waiting for a casserole to finish baking in the gas lit stove. He started smoking a Marlboro while he waited. His trusted old friend Jackson laid beside his feet. Deeply inhaling then exhaling the smoke, thoughts weighed heavy on his mind that evening.

 

He kept replaying that day over and over. The last time he saw his big brother Merle. From everything that was said to everything that wasn't said. His brothers mood, his facial expressions, anything that could give Daryl a clue as to why his brother disappeared. Daryl can remember that morning like it was yesterday. In his minds eye, it was clear as a bell. In fact, Merle was sitting in this very recliner...

 

 

**Merle had a unfinished bottle of beer he was rolling around from the palms of his hands to the ends of his fingertips. His mood was ill-tempered, like almost any other day, but today was different. Merle just sat there staring into space at nothing in particular when Daryl was rushing through the house, putting on his worn out black Ramones band t-shirt over his head, trying he best to hurry up for work.

 

“C'mon Merle! Get ur ass movin! Were gonnabe late for work.” Daryl shouted from the kitchen.

 

“I ain't goin.” Merle simply said, still looking at his no particular spot.

 

Daryl turn around and looked out of the open way of the kitchen that lead straight to the living room.

 

“And why not?” Daryl demanded.

 

“I got plans.” Merle replied, still not turning around. He didn't have the balls to look his baby brother in the eyes. Not just yet.

 

“Plans? What's her name this time? She a Belinda? A Tracy? Or maybe that Amy girl from the K-Mart. You been a wantin to tap that for awhile.” Daryl snickered.

 

“If that ain't the pot callin the kettle black. I can name at least a dozen guys you've had a thang for.” Merle shot back.

 

“Don't even start, Merle”. Daryl sighed. He poured some orange juice in a glass and noticed some flapjacks on a plate on the counter. Merle cooked breakfast? No way! Daryl snagged a pancake off the plate.

 

“Eh yuck! What is this shit?” Daryl said, his mouthful.

 

“I made pancakes.” Merle answered.

 

Daryl coughed and gagged. “With what? Shoe polish?” Daryl answered back, spitting out the disgusting food in the trashcan and taking a drink of his orange juice, finishing the glass.

 

“No good huh?” Merle said.

 

“Listen Merle, I know this is ur house in all, but do us both a favor. Leave the cookin to me. Neither one of us needs to be goin to the ER for food poisonin.” Daryl said.

 

“Whatever ya say Darlena.” Merle smiled.

 

Merle waited a minute until he can hear the familiar sounds of his brother continuing to his task of make himself some breakfast.

 

“You know ur my little brother right? That nobody's gonna care for ya, but me, right?” said Merle, his tone serious.

 

“What are ya babbling about now Merle?” Daryl shouted out as he put some Pop-Tarts in a toaster and started making coffee for his thermos.

 

“I mean is...” Merle turned his head to see Daryl then, and stood up, walking toward the kitchen to face him. “That no matter what I do, I do it cuz I... well...”

 

Daryl cocked and eyeball at Merle.

 

“Well I can't say the 'L' word when your lookin at me like that!” Merle grumbled.

 

“You on the pipe again Merle?” Daryl asked. He looked at Merle long and hard.

 

“You swore!” Daryl yelled, poking Merle in the chest. “You swore to me! No more drugs!”

 

Merle stepped back with both hands in the air.

 

“I swear to you baby brother, I ain't touch the shit. Scout's honor.” Merle said crossing his heart.

 

“What's gotten into ya lately? Daryl said, confused. “You've been distant these last couple of weeks and now ur standin here talkin to me like somethin's gonna happen. Merle, what's goin on?”

 

Both brothers stood there silent. Daryl waited for Merle to answer, but the loud popping sound of the toaster broke the silence. Daryl looked to the toaster then the clock on the microwave nearby.

 

“Shit! I'm late!” Daryl said. He quickly grabbed for the pastries and his thermos. “You wanna play hooky from work today that's fine, I'll cover for you like always, but this discussion isn't over. When I get back, you and me were gonna have a talk. Got it Merle?” Daryl said, as he opened to door to leave. “Merle?”

 

“Ya. Sure. OK.” Merle replied.

 

“Promise me u'll stay outta trouble. I don't wanna call from you askin me to bail ur ass outta jail.” Daryl said.

 

“I promise little brother.” Merle vowed.**

 

 

And just like that, Daryl never saw his brother again.

 

Daryl sighed heavily then took one last drag of his cigarette before butting it down the ashtray. The egg timer went off as he got up from Merle's chair. Jackson quickly followed after him.

 

Daryl took the casserole dish out of the oven and sit in near a half opened window to cool. Jackson did his usual snout rub on Daryl's leg when he wanted attention or food.

 

“Hey you rascal.” Daryl smiled, rubbing Jackson's face. “Wants some grub?”

 

He poured some dog chow in a dish. Daryl doubted his pit bull would have an appetite for a vegetable casserole.

 

The power wasn't working that night in the cabin, so Daryl lit up some candles and lanterns. Daryl took a look at the fuse box before he cooked dinner. Holding up a flashlight, he could see that two of the fuses were burnt out. Daryl was going to have to make a supply run tomorrow.

 

The cabin was cozy enough for Daryl since the turn. He was able to find a generator in town and get it running so the cabin had power, but it always failed in one way or another. The damn thing wasn't as easy to mess with as an engine vehicle or motorcycle. The cabin mostly ran on gas, so Daryl made sure there was plenty in the tank in the backyard so at least he could run the stove and have hot water. Daryl didn't seen to mind this rugged living style. It was kind of nice most days. Just like the pioneers.

 

Daryl dished out his food then sat down in the breakfast nook. On the table beside him was a notebook and pencil. Daryl had been keeping a log of his days since to turn. There wasn't much of anything to write about, but it made Daryl feel better.

 

Daryl had been trying to think of a plan for months on how he was going to find others. He remembered seeing a radio tower in another town 12 miles from his hometown. Daryl was thinking of going there to find fuses instead of his surrounding area. He wanted to see of he could get the old place running so perhaps he could send a radio message. But there was a legion of 'What if's' in Daryl's head.

 

What if the station power was shot?

 

What if the radio was too complicating to use?

 

What if the place was crawling with walkers?

 

Daryl wasn't the type of man to give up that easily. His mind was made up. Tomorrow, he was going to that town and find that radio station. Daryl was determined to find his brother and other people.

 

And Daryl would discover much more.

 

 


	5. Dreams and Nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 5 as promised. I have to warn you that this chapter has acts of violence. I don't want to spoil the whole chapter, but I do hope you are pleasantly surprised. I know I am.

10:45pm Eastern Time.

 

 

 

“ _I can give you access inside The Umbrella Corporation. I have access to it's secrets, security, the works, but there's a price.”_

 

“ _Name it!”_

 

“ _You have to promise me that you will bring this Corporation down.”_

 

“ _What the public doesn't know is Umbrella has a secret underground lab called The Hive. Their working on some kind of super weapon even as we speak. Their contracting a deal with the Chinese”......_

 

 

 

Rick woke up in a cold sweat, shocked. His heart pounding in his chest. He tried regaining his breath, calming his body down. That same dream again only he remembered more of what he said.

 

_A super weapon?_

 

_Could it be the infection?_

 

_Is Umbrella responsible for all of this?_

 

Rick looked at his alarm clock. It was 11pm. Rick went to the bathroom to take a piss then went downstairs for a cool drink of water.

 

After picking up a bottled water from the fridge and taking a big drink, Rick walked back to the stairway. Passing the living room, he spotted his sketchbook on the coffee table. He forgot to put it back in the study.

 

Rick sat down on the couch for just a moment and looked at the pencil drawing of his boss he was working on. He made a sour face. Rick was about to slam the book shut, but had a better idea. Out of silliness, he drew a curled mustache on the drawling. After that came some blackened teeth, odor squiggles with flies around the head, and then finally a pirate eye patch. Rick giggled. It was childish really, but he didn't care. It made him feel so much better.

 

Rick walked back up the stairs to his room. Sleep was calling his name and his eyelids were getting heavy. Rick laid his head down on his soft pillow. He put his hand under the pillow to feel for his gun, then finally drifted off.

 

 

_How do you like me Daddy? Rick asked, as he was on his hands and knees naked in the dark gray bedroom of the tomb looking mansion._

 

_His boss stood before him also naked, lifting Rick's chin._

 

“ _Now be nice to Daddy, and suck him hard.” He ordered._

 

_Rick looked at the man's hard cock before him. It wasn't big, but it was thick. Precome started to form on the mushroom tip. Rick opened his mouth wide and tried to take in as much of the man's cock as he could fit._

 

_Rick sucked hard and fast, wanting to finish him off quickly._

 

“ _That's it...that's it. You like that don't you my greedy little slut. You like Daddy's cock. Suck it good like the bitch you are”. His boss moaned. Rick hated how his boss always wanted to humiliate him._

 

_The dominant man took a hold of Rick's head with both hands, forcing Rick to move faster. The impact was so hard, Rick started choking on the man's cock and couldn't breathe. Rick tried moving faster. He wanted this over with. Wanted his boss to cum so this torture would end._

 

_This act of s &m went on almost every night. This wasn't about love or devotion, this was about lust and power. His boss prided himself into being able to submit Rick to this mortification. It was a sick ego-trip the man enjoyed. Like being high on some good drugs._

 

“ _Yes....Oh fuck yes!....Almost....almost...” The dominant man's legs were starting to shake. His hands held tighter onto Rick's skull._

 

“ _Oh FUCK! FUCK!...FUCK! He yelled, cumming hard into Rick's mouth. Rick tried to swallow as much as he could for his boss, otherwise the man would be pissed off._

 

_The satisfied man sat down on the greenish-gray silk sheeted bed, catching his breath._

 

_Rick wiped his sore lips with the back of his hand. He was about to walk out of the bedroom to the bathroom to wash the nasty taste from his mouth._

 

“ _I did not say you could leave. We're not done just yet. C'mere little slut, you know the drill.” the smug man said as he patted his hand on the bed._

 

_Rick turned around, a look of melancholy on his face and walked back to the hands of his master._

 

_Rick was on all fours ready for what was next. It was going to hurt, like it always did. His boss never bothered to use lube. Rick hoped his saliva leftover on the man's cock would be enough to ease the pain._

 

_It did nothing._

 

_His boss forced his cock inside the younger man hard. The older man didn't have the decency to let Rick adjust to the invasion. Rick screamed, tears started to form in the corners of his eyes._

 

“ _Did I give you permission to speak?' his boss said angrily, as he put his hand around Rick's neck. “You speak when spoken to, now move that pretty ass!”_

 

_Rick tried to move his hips. The pain increased and the friction felt like it was tearing Rick apart._

 

_The older man rammed harder and harder into Rick's abused hole. His right hand was still on Rick's neck, gripping tightly, the left on his hip leaving bruises. The man above him grunted louder. The throaty sounds he was making were almost terrifying to Rick._

 

“ _Who owns your ass?” The man shouted._

 

“ _You do.” Rick answered._

 

“ _Who's my little slut?” his boss shouted again._

 

“ _I am.” Rick answered._

 

“ _Who is your Governor?” his boss conceited._

 

“ _You are.” Rick answered._

 

_The older man leaned closer to Rick's ear and whispered harshly. “And you never forget it.”_

 

_He continued fucking Rick hard, so hard, Rick was sure he was bleeding._

 

“ _Stop.” Rick murmured._

 

“ _Stop! Your hurting me.” Rick said louder._

 

 

 

“ **STOP!!!”**

 

 

Rick woke up screaming out of his dream with his gun cocked and ready to kill whoever was in the room. His heart pounding hard in his chest. His t-shirt and boxers soaked in sweat. Rick fell backwards hard on his pillow and tried to regain his breath. Another dream, but this one was a nightmare. More horrifying in any walker that would mutilate and kill him.

 

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

 

 

 

9:45pm Central Time.

 

 

Daryl cleaned up the mess from dinner, put the leftover casserole in the icebox and blew out the candles on the kitchen counter. It had been a long day and he was ready to settle down for the night.

 

Daryl wanted nothing more but to lay in his bed, not bothering to change his clothes and sleep, but he was covered in dirt and walker filth. So he dragged himself to the bathroom and ran the water of the shower.

 

Adjusting the knobs to the temperature he desired, Daryl started stripping off his dirty clothes and throwing them in a nearby basket.

 

He put his face to the running water, enjoying the feeling of it's warmth as it washed away the long hard working day. Daryl poured some shampoo in his hand and started scrubbing his hair. After his rinsed off, he poured some AXE body wash on a bath puff and washed the rest of his body.

 

He quickly rinsed off, he hands roaming all over his wet skin. He lazily moved a hand to his cock. Daryl stroked slowly then started working his way faster, moving a steady pace.

 

His mind trying to picture images of a hot man with him in the shower, stroking Daryl instead. Daryl put his palm to the shower wall to keep from slipping. His strokes quickened and he panted heavily, still imaging what it would be like to have another man enjoying this shower with him at this moment. Daryl came hard in such a short time.

 

Daryl sadly sighed and cleaned the cum off his hand. It seemed to always go that way with masturbation. He hated that he had more of a romantic relationship with his hand then a man. He was starting to feel like a lonely old congressman.

 

Daryl toweled himself off roughly then walked to the bedroom to put on some flannel pants. Jackson was already asleep in his dog bed making light snoring noises.

 

 _How can a dog snore like a human?_ Daryl wondered, he would never know.

 

Daryl crawled into his own bed and deeply sighed smiling. He put his arms around one of his pillows and fell into the bliss of sleep.

 

 

_There was a mist all around an open meadow to a far off lake. Daryl walked from a grassy shoreline to what looked to be a long wooden dock. No, it looked more like a wooden bridge._

 

_A beautiful young man was standing on the bridge from the distance. Daryl tried to see his face, but it was too hard through the mist. The young man smiled at Daryl, then dove off into the lake. Daryl smiled and ran after him, diving into the water as well._

 

_Both men were floating under the water looking at one another. Daryl swam closer to the younger man. The man reached out his arms to Daryl to embrace him. Daryl leaned toward the man's lips for a kiss. It was soft and warm even in the light blue cool water. Daryl still couldn't see the handsome man's face, but his felt soft curls at the nape of the man's neck on the palm of his hand. Daryl broke the kiss to try to get a clearer look at the man's face._

 

_The man started to drift away. He looked like he was drowning. Daryl tried to reach for him, but the more he extended his arm, the more the man struggled in the water. The young man panicked trying to call out for Daryl. Daryl tried swimming toward the man, but then he started feeling like he was being weighed down. Like he was drowning too. Daryl tried swim up to the surface but water started filling his lungs. Daryl screamed in the water..._

 

 

Daryl woke up in shock. He heart hammered in his chest. His face flush and sweaty. Daryl tried to catch his breath, threading his fingers into his hair.

 

_Oh man._ Daryl thought. 

 

_That was intense._

 

_What the hell does it all mean?_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there it is. I wrote smut. I've never written kink or s&m of any kind before. This chapter wasn't what I expected it to be when writing it, so to those fetish fiction fans out there, I hope I did alright.


	6. Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Daryl make contact. Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a fusion of Rick and Daryl's morning. Their events happening at the same time. I tried to write this as less confusing as I could so I added their time zones to the events. Hope you enjoy this. Next chapter is in the works. The boys will FINALLY meet! :D

8:00 am Eastern Time.

 

 

Rick woke up to the usual buzzing of his alarm clock. Turning it off, he started rubbing his eyes hard.

 

Rick was exhausted. He didn't sleep a wink after that last horrifying dream.

 

That sadistic man doing unspeakable things to him.

 

Why would he subject himself to that?

 

Did he owe the man a debt?

 

Is he gay?

 

Were they in a relationship?

 

If so, it wasn't the kind if sick relationship he wished to ever be in again.

 

In a crabby mood, Rick finally dragged himself out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

7:00 am Central Time.

 

 

Daryl woke up to the wet lick of Jackson's long tongue on his face. His “doggie alarm clock” was telling him it was time to wake up. Daryl turned over and made a groggy noise.

 

“Uh! Go away Jackson. It's too early.” Daryl moaned, trying to go back to sleep.

 

Jackson started barking and pawing his master in the bed.

 

“All right! All right! I'm up! I'll take you outside.” Daryl said as he threw the sheets off of himself and stood up looking for his slippers.

 

Daryl didn't sleep very well after his dream of the drowning man. It seemed too vivid for just an ordinary dream. Daryl felt like it was a message. A cosmic force trying to send him a warning. Daryl almost felt like somehow he was bonded to the man from his dream.

 

Daryl would have to think about it later. Jackson needed to go outside and do his business and Daryl needed to start cooking breakfast.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

8:50 am Eastern Time.

 

 

Rick finished his breakfast and cleaned off the dishes. He proceeded to the living room to put on his boots. Sitting on the couch, he looked to the coffee table and saw his altered drawing of his boss. It was fun making it a mess last night, but now the fun was over.

 

Rick picked up the drawing to looked at it once more. His boss in his dream said many twisted things, but one thing he said, stuck to Rick the most. He asked him if he was Rick's Governor.

 

What did he mean by that?

 

Was his dream just triggered to a nightmare after he scribbled all over the drawing of his boss?

 

This can't possibly be a coincidence. Rick knew for a fact his dream was another memory.

 

It would explain the scars on his back. Rick assumed that the slash marks were caused by some terrorist trying to make Rick spill out company secrets. But now, Rick was certain his boss put them there.

 

In anger, Rick crumbled the drawing into a ball and threw it into the fireplace. He then got up from the couch and took the photo of his boss and himself down from the mantle and tossed it in a nearby drawer. He was so sick and tired of that man!

 

Rick wanted to remember happy memories.

 

If there were any at all.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

7:50 am Central Time.

 

 

Daryl passed by his fireplace and put some lanterns and candles all around the living room just in case he needed them for tonight. He didn't know if the town he was going to explore would have the fuses he needed for the electric box.

 

Daryl then started packing some food, a water canteen, and ammo in his backpack. Calling for Jackson, Daryl opened the door and stepped outside to his front porch.

 

A walker was caught on one of the wooden spikes surrounding the cabin. Daryl walked toward the creature.

 

The walker struggled more on the spike, trying to grab for him. Daryl stood there for a moment, staring at it's decaying face. Daryl then stabbed its head with his hunting knife. Looking over it once more, Daryl turned around to his pickup truck.

 

He opened the door for Jackson then put his backpack on the passenger floor. Daryl hopped into his truck and drove off eager to get to his destination.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

9:30 am Eastern Time.

 

 

Rick was packing up his duffel bag with some bottled water and food. He also placed a box of bullets, his flashlight, and a silver laptop deep inside the bag.

 

Since his dream of meeting Milton, Rick decided it would be a good idea to keep a video log of what he could remember of his dreams and memories. Rick still had no real knowledge of the man he used to be and who all these people of his past really meant to him.

 

Rick proceeded to the garage and opened the driver's side door of his Escalade. He set his duffel bag in the passenger's seat then got out of the car to open the garage door. After he opened it, a walker from the street saw Rick and creeped slowly up his driveway.

 

Rick walked toward the zombie. He stopped just a few feet away from the creature. Rick stared at it's sagging face, still angry from earlier. The walker was moving closer and just as it was about to reach out its arms, Rick drew out his gun and set the barrel right onto it's forehead and shot it. He looked over the body once more before moving it off the driveway.

 

Rick got into his car and drove off. Rick had somewhere he needed to be.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

8:30 am Central Time.

 

 

Daryl arrived to the town with the radio tower. Jackson was sniffing the ground for any signs of walkers. There were not many visible, but Daryl did not want to take any chances of running into a heard.

 

Daryl walked around the town square. He climbed up the roof of the square's gazebo hoping for a better view. The tower was close, north of his direction. Daryl figured it was about 6 blocks from the square. Daryl climbed back down from the roof and went on his way.

 

It took Daryl about some 30 odd minutes to find the radio station. The place looked locked up well, but Daryl still wanted to inspect the place for walkers just in case.

 

Daryl broke into the front entrance as quietly as he could. Jackson went in first to scan around inside to make sure the coast was clear. The pit bull yelped a quick bark and ran back to Daryl, letting him know the place was safe.

 

“Good boy Jackson!” Daryl smiled, rubbing the dog's face. He then pulled out a dog treat from his left hand pocket and fed it to him.

 

Daryl continued inside, looking for the radio studio. He spotted it in the far back of the small building. He happily walked into the room.

 

All over the place were gadgets and gizmos of electronics Daryl didn't know what for. In his corner eye, he found what he was looking for. A frequency radio. Daryl flipped the ON switch but forgot to find the power box to the building. He scouted around the room to see of the electric box was here. It wasn't, so Daryl looked in the far right side of the building.

 

There was a maintenance closet at the end. Daryl opened the door and found the electric box. He started flipping switches in hopes that the power generator to the building still worked. Flipping the last switch, he saw lights turn on.

 

“Hell ya!” Daryl said, pleased.

 

But even better, Daryl heard a voice on the radio. He quickly ran back to the radio studio to hear the message.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

10:00 am Eastern Time.

 

 

Rick drove about 30 minutes outside of his home to the radio station he found 6 months ago. He parked his car next to the building and hopped out. He went through his key ring to look for the key to the lock that held chains looped around the entrance door handles. Rick didn't want anything getting inside.

 

After unlocking and removing the chains from the door, Rick stepped inside. He headed to the radio studio.

 

Everything looked the same as the day he left it. The power still worked. His message still playing. Rick listened with a feeling of hopelessness.

 

~~My name is Rick Grimes.~~

~~I'm a survivor living outside of Atlanta, Georgia.~~

~~I can provide food. I can provide shelter. I can provide security.~~

~~I'll be waiting everyday at Noon at the quarry that's West of the Atlanta City Limits.~~

~~If you are out there. If anybody is out there.~~

~~Please.~~

~~You are not alone.~~

 

Rick turned off the frequency radio that played his repeated message. He decided to give up the search to find others. What was the point? No one was out there.

 

Rick almost looked like he was going to cry. It pained him to think this was it. He truly was the last man stand survivor.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

9:17 am Central Time.

 

 

~~Hello? Are you there? Can you hear me?~~

~~Hello?~~

 

Daryl tried to answer the messenger back, but got nothing but static on the other end of the line.

 

~~If your there, My name is Daryl Dixon and you are not alone.~~

~~I will be there at the quarry at Noon.~~

~~It will take me 2 or 3 days, but I'll be there.~~

~~~~~~Wait for me.~~

 

Daryl put the radio hand mic down ecstatic.

 

“YES! This is it!.” Daryl said with both arms in fists raised up to his shoulder level.

 

_Fuck the fuses!_ Daryl thought.

 

He wanted something better. Today, he was going on a supply run for a Road Atlas to Georgia.

 


	7. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Daryl finally meet. Sort of. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, but I wanted to post it anyway so I can get started on the next chapter while the notes in my head are still fresh. Hope you enjoy it.

Daryl hardly slept last night. He was too excited over the radio message, he went right to work making preparations for his journey.

 

There was another man out there like himself. All alone and wanting to find survivors. Daryl felt like a child at Christmas.

 

2 years, Daryl wished nothing more then to see or hear the voice of another living person. Finding that old radio station was the best decision he ever made.

 

Daryl left his cabin early that morning, taken Jackson with him. He headed East for Atlanta. He chose to avoid the main highways hoping he wouldn't run into large herds of walkers. It worked for the most part, but Daryl had to occasionally make a detour around the larger groups of walkers on the road.

 

Day 2, Daryl's last stop was within the Alabama border. A military tank was on the road. Daryl decided to look into the tank to see if there were any weapons or grenades left. You never know when they would come in handy.

 

Daryl sled down inside from the top of the tank opening and almost puked. The smell of death was strong. A soldier's body was sitting inside the tank. He committed suicide. Shot right in the head. A gun in one hand, and what looked to be a journal in the other. Daryl took the gun from the soldier corpses hand. The barrel was empty, but Daryl put it in his back pocket anyway. He then picked up the soldier's journal.

 

Daryl walked back to his truck and opened the door. Sitting down, he opened the journal and started to read.

 

There were letters and pictures inside. The soldier must of just returned from deployment during the turn, because the letters spoke of his home in West Virginia. A community called Alexandria. His mother wrote to him about how they were doing just fine. That their home was secure and free of infection. The pictures inside showed a tall steel fence surrounding the community. Pictures of homes unaffected from the turn. Living people smiling. Solar panels and gardens, even a park with a pond.

 

Daryl was just having all kinds of luck. This place sounded too good to be true. He put the journal in his backpack and went on his way with nothing but positive thoughts on his mind.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Rick went to the quarry late in the afternoon. His mind was a traffic jam of thoughts. He was still having that dream of the pact with Milton. Rick didn't care anymore. Any dream was better then that fucked up one with his boss. Rick was also very depressed. He thought long and hard if he should do more then just give up on finding others. Rick wondered if he should take his own life. He was going to die anyway.

 

The last man on earth.

 

Rick was sitting on a wooden picnic bench he assembled months ago. He sat of the direction facing the quarry. There was a large clear pond in the pit of the quarry. The landscape was quite beautiful.

 

The view gave no peace of mind to Rick. On the table was his silver laptop. His pocket knife laid beside it. Rick picked up the knife and randomly carved a DNA looking symbol on the wooden table. Rick looked at his carving. He didn't know what compelled him to make it.

 

Rick deeply sighed then finally decided to open his laptop and start today's video entry.

 

~~July 7, 2018.

 

“2 days ago, I decided to end my radio message.”

 

“I'm giving up the search for other survivors.”

 

“...What am I doing here?”

 

“My stupid gut feeling told me to come.”

 

“It's never let me down before.”

 

“....Why am I even making this video.”

 

“Who's going to see it?”

 

“Is this my ultimate punishment for what I've done in the past?”

 

“For my role in the end of days?”

 

“I think I was trying to stop this from happening.”

 

“Stop the infection from even starting.”

 

“Get a hold of the virus.....”

 

“The virus?....”~~

Rick started having another flashback. He remembered more of what he told Milton.

 

**“You have to promise me that you will bring this Corporation down.”

 

“What the public doesn't know is Umbrella has a secret underground lab called The Hive.” Rick continued. “Their working on some kind of super weapon even as we speak. Their contracting a deal with the Chinese.”

 

“What kind of weapon?”Milton asked.

 

“Viral weaponry.” Rick answered. 

 

“Umbrella is wanting to sell it to the highest bidder. They don't care if this will start a war.”...**

 

 

Rick looked back to his DNA symbol etched on the table. The realization was beginning to dawn on him.

 

~~“Umbrella was making a virus.”

 

“That's why I wanted to bring them down.”~~

 

Rick suddenly heard a noise of something coming. He quickly looked up to his video cam.

 

A walker was getting closer behind him.

 

“Oh shit!” Rick said, quickly turning around and going for his gun in the holster.

 

Rick fired but missed it's head in all the excitement. The walker was too close so Rick tried pushing it away with his hands. Rick tried to knock the walkers head out with the handle of his gun. The walker was biting it's choppers out for Rick's neck. The commotion cause Rick's pocket knife to fall off the table. It's handle got caught between two rocks, the sharp end sticking out.

 

Rick tried to aim his gun to the walkers head, but the walker was trying to claw its hands at Rick. The motion caused Rick's gun to fall out of his hand.

 

Rick struggled to keep the walker from getting closer to his face. Suddenly another walker came out of the woods moving faster towards them.

 

Rick was going to get his wish soon enough. Rick knew at that moment.

 

This was it.

 

It was time for Rick Grimes to leave this world.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Daryl was about 2 miles from the quarry or so the map in his hand told him. While driving, he looked out of his window to see if his was close. In the distance of some trees was a black SUV. Daryl decided to park close by the vehicle. Daryl stopped the engine of his truck and turned to face his pit bull.

 

“I think ya better wait this one out this time cuz ya can still get infected.” Daryl said as he started petting Jackson's back.

 

The dog just sat there enjoying the back rub, wagged his tail for Daryl.

 

Daryl made sure the doors of his truck were unlocked and stepped out with his crossbow in his hands. He walked to Jackson's passenger side window, the window was cracked open.

 

“If I don't make it back....just...just go ok?” Daryl told his old friend as he walked deeper into the woods to find the quarry.

 

Daryl scanned all around the woods making sure there was no signs of walkers. He listened for any suspicious sounds but all he can hear were the soothing sounds of birds chirping. Daryl stopped a moment to listen for any other sounds. He turned around to make sure nothing was behind him. All of the sudden, he heard the sound of a gun fire. Daryl quickly turn back and ran to the where the sound was coming from.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Rick was still pushing the walker off of his body. He then tried to kick it's body back but lost his balance and slipped.

 

Rick fell hard to the ground, his left thigh landed right on his pocket knife sticking out from the rocks.

 

“Ooooooowwwww!!!” Rick screamed. Rick tried to get back on his feet but the pain in his leg was unbearable.

 

The knocked off walker crawled closer to Rick. Rick tried to reach for his gun, but the gun was too far away. The second walker was almost on top of Rick. Rick tried pushing this one away with his hands as well.

 

Rick's body was getting exhausted. He was losing a lot of blood.

 

Rick yelled and screamed at the walkers when all of the sudden an arrow shot the walker on top of Rick, right in it's skull. Rick let go of the corpse. He looked up and saw and man with a crossbow in his hands. The man then quickly took his hunting knife from his belt and stabbed the crawling walker in the head.

 

Rick was seeing things. He was going mad.

 

The man came closer to Rick.

 

Rick was about to say something to the imaginative man before him. He didn't even get one word out because suddenly everything went black.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Rick was slowly coming in and out of consciousness. He can barely see, but knew he was in the backseat of his SUV. He felt strange things like a dog licking his face. He heard strange sounds like the motor of the SUV running and another man's voice. The mysterious man was driving Rick's car.

 

“.....do you live?”

 

…...................

 

“…...Where do you live?”

 

Rick didn't know who this being was. A ghost? An enemy? Rick went ahead and answered the mysterious being anyway.

 

“221...West...Jefferson Street.....Please...please don't let them know where I live”...

 

And just like that Rick blacked out again.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Alexandria isn't in West Virginia on TWD, but for the sake of this story it is. I have better plans in mind for DC. Just wait. You will know soon enough. ox


	8. Introductions

Daryl drove on the suburban street of Jefferson to a well gated house that stick out like a sore thumb. It must have been Rick's because he could not see the house number due to the fence height. Daryl did a merry go round of locking and unlocking the gate and garage door with Rick's keys from the car.

 

After the gate was secure and he opened the door to the entrance of the house, Daryl parked the SUV in the garage. He then hefted Rick in a firefighter's carry to the upstairs porch of the house. Daryl looked for the living room and gentle laid Rick down on a leather couch.

 

Jackson sat on the living room floor beside Rick keeping watch over the wounded man. Daryl smiled at him. He loved that old mutt. He was always so loyal with people.

 

Daryl then searched all over the place for a med-kit. He found a large yellow case in the kitchen pantry. Daryl quickly picked it up and went back to tend to Rick.

 

Daryl was able to minimize the blood loss by wrapping his belt tightly around Rick's thigh. Daryl carefully loosed the belt then unbuttoned and pulled off Rick's pants. The wound was deep so Daryl had to work fast. He first applied disinfectant then stitched up the wound with a needle and thread. Daryl was glad Rick wasn't awake for this part. He couldn't stand the pain of he were conscious.

 

After he was satisfied with his handy work, Daryl cleaned up the dried blood on Rick's thigh with a warm wash cloth. Daryl was finally able now to get a better look at Rick.

 

Rick was a very handsome man. He looked so young with his eyes closed. His skin was the color of fine cream and felt unusually soft for a man. Only his workman's hands gave away the illusion. He had a light dusting of facial hair around his jawline. He had full lips that looked like they were made for kissing. His hair was a nice shade of dark blond that had curl and was cut to the nape of his neck.

 

Rick's curls reminded Daryl of the man from his dream. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence, perhaps it meant nothing, but Daryl wouldn't mind at all if Rick replaced the man from his dreams.

 

Daryl shook his head out of his little fantasy. He had to remember that Rick was still a stranger. He didn't know if he would be friend or foe. Daryl would have to find out after Rick awakens.

 

Daryl put the medical supplies back into the yellow case, then looked for the bathroom medicine cabinet. Rick needed antibiotics and painkillers. Daryl found two bottles of what he needed and set them on the coffee table with a glass of water for Rick.

 

Jackson was pawing at Daryl's leg wanting his attention. That was Daryl's cue. He went into the kitchen to find his dog something to eat.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Rick woke up to the sound of his TV in his living room. Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back, was playing in the background. He turned his head and saw the scene of Darth Vader telling Luke that he was his father. Rick turned away from the TV, making a pained face. His leg still hurt, but it felt strange. Rick looked down to see he was wearing a different pair of pants. He rolled up the pants leg of his gray pajama bottoms and saw that his wound was stitched up. He looked back at the coffee table and saw some medicine bottles and water. Rick slowly sat up on the couch and heard strange noises coming from the kitchen. He carefully picked up his baseball bat that was leaning on the fireplace and tip toed to the kitchen.

 

Rick saw the man from the quarry, cooking eggs on the stove.

 

He was real, not a ghost.

 

The man was dressed in a cutoff t-shirt with and leather vest that had angel wings sewn on the back. His dark jeans hung to his hips and he had a red handkerchief in one of the pockets. There was also a dog. A pit-bull eating food out of one of Rick's bowls. The dog spotted Rick, then quickly barked for Daryl.

 

Daryl turned around to see his patient. “I see ur finally awake. The eggs are powered, but o' course ya already know. There urs.”

 

“I found some bacon which is the most fantastic thang.” Daryl chuckled.

 

Daryl looked down at Rick's hand still holding the baseball bat. “Hey, It's ok.”

 

Rick blinked his eyes then set the bat down. He looked at Daryl with uncertainty.

 

“My name is Daryl Dixon.” Daryl said, extending his hand to Rick.

 

Rick hesitated a moment, but took the offered hand for a shake. “Rick Grimes.”

 

“Please sit down, we have much to talk about.” Daryl offered a chair for Rick.

 

Rick slowly sat down and watched Daryl plate the eggs and bacon.

 

Daryl then set two juice boxes on the table before sitting down himself. “Ur leg is ok, but it won't be if ya don't take those antibiotics soon.”

 

Rick gave a small nod in agreement then picked up a fork to eat.

 

“I came from Missouri. Took me two days to get here.” Daryl said as he picked up a piece of bacon.

 

“How did you find me?” Rick asked.

 

“Heard ur message on the radio.” Daryl answered.

 

Rick looked at Daryl with a hint of a contentment.

 

“I'm on my way to West Virginia. To the survivor's colony.” Daryl continued.

 

“What?” Rick said confused, shaking his head.

 

“In a town, Alexandria, the safe zone.” Daryl answered.

 

“There is no colony. There is no safe zone. None of this was supposed to happen.” Rick replied.

 

“Up in the mountains, there's a whole group of people who didn't get sick.” Daryl interjected.

 

“Shut up.” Rick murmured.

 

“The infection couldn't survive the cold.” Daryl went on. “Livin people in a community”...

 

“Shut up!” Rick yelled, clearing his plate off the table in fury. It smashed hard, braking into pieces. Rick stood up like he was about to fight.

 

Daryl quickly got up from his seat and picked up Rick's Colt Python from the counter, pointing toward Rick.

 

“Everybody's dead! Everyone is dead alright? Rick yelled, putting his hands into his hair. Rick felt so lost.

 

“You don't understand. I...I was saving that bacon for a special occasion.”

 

“You know what? I just...need a moment. I didn't sleep so well. I'm just gonna go upstairs. I need to take this all in.” Rick said, more to himself then to Daryl.

 

Daryl put the gun back down onto the counter and watched the troubled man walk up the stairs. Daryl couldn't help but feel sorry for Rick. The poor man had been all alone for the past 2 years.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Daryl was in the kitchen looking over the soldiers journal when he heard Rick walking down the stairs. Rick saw Daryl sitting in the breakfast nook so he walked to the entry way of the kitchen.

 

“For a man who's been asleep for about 10 hours, ya still look like shit.” Daryl said, trying to humor Rick.

 

Rick just gave him a dirty look.

 

“Ur not so good with people anymore are ya?” Daryl asked.

 

Rick sighed and gave Daryl a small smile. It wasn't fair of him to be so nasty. After all, the man saved his life. “Thank you for my leg.”

 

Daryl smiled back at Rick. “Ur welcome.”

 

Daryl looked back down to his journal. “It's too late today to go to West Virginia. If we leave early in the mornin, we can make it to Alexandria in a straight shot. Ya have all the supplies needed for the trip, so we don't have to go on a run. Do ya have any extra...”

 

“I'm not going to West Virginia.” Rick interrupted. “This is my home now. There's nothing left out there for me anymore.”

 

“There's nothin left for ya here either. C'mon Rick, this is ur chance. Don't ya wanna know if there are more survivor's?” Daryl asked.

 

Rick deeply sighed then looked up at Daryl. “You can stay here as long as you need to. Good Luck on your search for Alexandria.” Rick said, walking out of the entry way to his study.

 

Daryl couldn't understand why Rick was behaving the way he was. Daryl thought for curtain the man would be happy to see another person after all this time. Rick was very distant. Daryl needed to somehow convince Rick to come with him to Alexandria. They needed each other now, whether Rick would like it or not.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Rick was busy at work cutting newspaper clippings and taping them to the wall. He heard the familiar sound of Daryl's footsteps. Daryl lightly knocked on the doorway.

 

“Hey, sorry to interrupt what ya were doin.” Daryl said.

 

“No come on in.” Rick gestured.

 

Daryl walked into the study with two cups of hot tea and handed one to Rick.

 

“Oh thank you.” Rick said, taking the cup and carefully blowing the hot liquid inside.

 

“What's all this?” Daryl asked, pointing to the wall of papers.

 

“Well this is just a theory of mine. Of how the infection began to the start of the turn. You see, my theory is mostly about the Umbrella Corporation. About its leading abilities with medicines and providing them to vast numbers of consumers. High paying consumers, in which I mean other countries. I'm thinking maybe they knew something was going to happen and the corporation was going to profit from it.”

 

“Most of the infection started right here on the East Coast.” Rick continued, pointing to a US map tapped on the wall. “I'm thinking the symptoms were more like the common cold at first which is probably why it wasn't detected sooner.”

 

Rick looked to Daryl then.

 

Daryl looked at him with a warm smile. He seemed genuinely interested in what Rick had to say. It made Rick blush.

 

“Anyway.” Rick quickly cleared his throat. “That's...that's my theory.”

 

Daryl looked at the wall of newspapers, notes, and pictures Rick posted on the wall. It looked like an 'Everything You Needed To Know About Armageddon' post.

 

“My God.” Daryl softly said.

 

“God didn't do this Daryl. We did.” Rick answered.

 

Daryl turned around, looking into Rick's eyes. “Rick? Where can I sleep?”

 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added The Empire Strikes Back to Rick's TV in honor of the new movie Star Wars - The Force Awakens. I can't wait to see it in theaters!


	9. A Plan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick just can't let go.

Rick starting making up the guestroom bed for Daryl. He was fluffing up pillows while Daryl glazed around to room to framed pencil drawings on the wall.

 

“Ya drew these?” Daryl asked, admiring the portraits and landscapes.

 

“Yes I did.” Rick answered as he unfolded a comforter.

 

“There beautiful. Ur a surprisin person, Rick Grimes.” Daryl complemented.

 

“What do you mean?” Rick asked.

 

“I mean all of this. This house, the fence, the garden, these pictures. Is there anythin ya can't do?” Daryl wondered.

 

“Well...I don't know how to shoot a crossbow.” Rick answered.

 

Both men looked at each other and started to laugh.

 

“Well maybe a certain country boy will teach ya.” Daryl offered.

 

“Well maybe a certain city boy would like that very much.” Rick accepted.

 

Rick hated to admit it, but he was starting to like this Mr. Dixon. No one have ever giving Rick so much kindness and compassion. Rick was starting to feel feelings he never had before. Rick didn't know how he was supposed to handle it. It terrified him.

 

Daryl turned back around to the frame art on the wall. “Ya like this boy. Ya've drawled him several times.” Daryl stated, picking up the frame from the shelf.

 

“That's my son.” Rick explained.

 

“What's his name?” Daryl asked, placing the frame back to it's spot on the shelf.

 

Rick looked up to Daryl and smiled.“Carl...His name was Carl.”

 

Rick smoothed out the comforter on the bed, finishing his task. Daryl looked at the cozy bed and grinned, sitting down with no hesitation. Rick sat beside him.

 

“You have any kids?” Rick asked.

 

“Nah, just an older brother, His name was Merle. In fact, I still have his picture in my wallet.” Daryl said as he reached for his back pocket.

 

“You carry a wallet in the apocalypse?” Rick questioned, cocking an eyeball at Daryl.

 

“Shuddup.” Daryl huffed, smirking. “Just to protect my photos.”

 

Daryl went through his photographs until he found what he was looking for. He handed the picture of his brother to Rick. “That's Merle.” Daryl pointed.

 

Rick looked at the picture of Merle. In an instant, another one of Rick's famous flashbacks hit him harder then a ton of bricks.

 

**Rick was sitting at an elegantly displayed table. He was at some sort of business dinner. Rick was holding a glass of Scotch on the rocks, the glass almost empty. A waiter dressed in black and white approached with a bottle of Scotch in his hand.

 

“Another refill Officer Friendly?” the waiter asked, pouring the alcohol.

 

Rick looked up to a tall man sporting a jarhead haircut. It was Merle.

 

Merle gave Rick a quick nod as if trying to send him a silent message. Rick quickly nodded back before they were noticed...**

 

Rick?...Rick?...

 

“ **Rick!”** Daryl said, shaking Rick from his thoughts. 

 

“Hey man, ya ok?” Daryl asked concerned.

 

Rick shook his head and rapidly blinked his eyes. “Yeah I'm...I'm alright. It's just my leg...I forgot to take those painkillers.”

 

“There downstairs. Wait right here, I'll get 'em.” Daryl insisted, as he got up from the bed to grab Rick the bottle of medicine.

 

Rick looked back at the photograph. More memories were starting to come back.

 

**“You have to promise me that you will bring this Corporation down.”

 

“What the public doesn't know is Umbrella has a secret underground lab called The Hive.” Rick continued. “Their working on some kind of super weapon even as we speak. Their contracting a deal with the Chinese.”

 

“What kind of weapon?”Milton asked.

 

“Viral weaponry.” Rick answered. 

 

“Umbrella is wanting to sell it to the highest bidder. They don't care if this will start a war.”

 

Rick looked at Milton with doubt. “I don't think this will even work. Your a reporter. You'll be easily noticed in the hive even undercover. It's wrong of me to ask you to risk your life.”

 

Milton gave Rick a look of reassurance. “My partner is an ex Marine. He's very trustworthy. He will go undercover. No questions asked.”...**

 

…...............

 

**Rick was walking the halls of the hive in his security uniform. Merle was wheeling a cleaning cart, dressed as a night janitor walking towards him. Their expressions were neutral. In a flash, Rick exchanged a encrypted micro chip card to Merle. Merle grabbed the card quickly away from the eyes of the security cameras. They both walked away opposite of one another.**

 

Rick shook his head again, bring him out of his daze. He knew Merle? They were all working together undercover? All of these new memories were just getting weirder and weirder. Rick would have to keep this information from Daryl, at least for now until he knew more. Rick didn't even know if Merle was still alive.

 

Daryl returned with two pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

 

Rick swallowed the pills then took the offered glass of water from Daryl's hand. He then handed Daryl back Merle's picture.

 

Daryl put the photo back into his wallet, as he tried to think of the right words to say, to convince Rick to go to Alexandria. “Come wit me Rick. To Alexandria. To the safe zone.”

 

“There is no safe zone out there Daryl.” Rick reasoned. 

 

“Ur wrong. There is a safe zone. I know.” Daryl persuaded.

 

“How do you know?” Rick asked, doubtful.

 

Daryl took the dead soldier's journal from under his arm and handed it to Rick.

 

Rick took the journal and opened it, seeing the letters and pictures it contained.

 

“I found it on the way here. It belonged to a soldier who came back from deployment. It talks of that place. Of the people free of infection. Don't ya see? This is the answer to our prayers.” Daryl explained.

 

“Your going to bring God into this now?” Rick asked with bitterness.

 

“The man upstairs has a plan. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for ya. Ya sent that message on the radio. Ya haven't completely givin up.” Daryl said.

 

Rick got up from the bed angry and pacing the floor.

 

Daryl followed behind him. “I know this sounds crazy, but somethin told me to turn on that radio, somthin told me to meet ya. Ya were gonna try to kill urself last night wern't ya?”

 

“Daryl.” Rick turned around facing Daryl, looking at him as if he were his enemy. 

 

“I got here justin time to save ur ass. Ya call thatta coincidence?” Daryl asked.

 

“Just stop, Daryl.” Rick warned.

 

“Rick. The world's quieter now. Ya just have ta listen. Ya gotta believe that God had a plan for us. That this world isn't gonna break the livin.”...

 

“God's plan? Let me tell you about God's plan!” Rick yelled right into Daryl's face.

 

“There were about 6 billion people when the infection hit. Over 99 percent of those people got sick and died!” 

 

“They died! Daryl!”

 

“Those who didn't die became those walkers we try running away from. The other half of those walkers became those night seekers we try hiding away from!”

 

“And they fed on people, living, healthy people like you and me!” 

 

“Every single person that you and I know...is...DEAD!!!”

 

Daryl stood there and free willingly took all of Rick's anger and frustration. He wanted the troubled man to just let it all out. Rick didn't scare him one bit, but Daryl could clearly see that Rick was scared of himself.

 

“There is no God.” Rick argued, poking Daryl in the chest.

 

A single tear fell in the corner of Rick's eye. “There is no God.”

 

There was silence in the room for a moment until they both heard the sound of Jackson's paws running up the stairs. The dog was in a frightened state. He quickly pawed at Daryl, whining and making a single bark.

 

“What is it old friend?” Daryl asked Jackson.

 

Rick ran to the window to peak outside. There were walkers around his gate, clawing and gnawing at it, trying to break in.

 

“Was it dark when you brought us home?” Rick panicked.

 

“Ya were wounded. Ya needed medical attention. The dawn was comin from the horizon.” Daryl tried to explain.

 

Rick quickly closed the curtain of the window. “They followed us home!”

 

Rick and Daryl ran downstairs for their weapons. Rick grabbed his Colt Python from the the kitchen counter and checked to see if he had enough bullets. Daryl followed pursuit, going for his crossbow and arrows. He also went for his backpack and started packing his journal, food, water, anything he could get to fast.

 

Rick put his gun belt around his waist then went after his pocket knife, followed by another pistol.

 

“Ya gonna try to take'em all on?” Daryl asked.

 

“We have guns, we have transportation. We'll kill as many as we can.” Rick answered.

 

“Ya serious?” Daryl questioned.

 

“This is MY HOME. I'll die here.” Rick said matter-of-fact.

 

Daryl raised an eyebrow but agreed to Rick's plan. “Alright. It's a good a night as any.”

 

They ran outside to the scene before them. The fences seem to hold but not for long. Daryl ran into the garage, looking for kerosine or lighter fluid.

 

“What are you doing?” Rick asked, confused.

 

“I'm gonna light a fire. Outside far away from the fence to drift them away.” Daryl explained as he looked all over a tool bench. 

 

“And this works? The fire I mean?” Rick wondered.

 

“I've seen it happen before.” Daryl said. He ended up finding an unopened bottle of Gin. Daryl quickly opened the bottle then put a torn piece of cloth inside. Rick picked up a step ladder beside the tool bench and followed after Daryl. 

 

Daryl took the offered step ladder, set it by the fence, and stepped up the top. He then fished out his lighter from his pocket then lit the end of the cloth, quickly throwing the bottle of Gin as far away as he could throw.

 

Some of the walkers saw the blaze before them and went to it like moths. The rest were still trying to break the fence. Daryl started shooting his pistol at a few heads he could spot from the opposite side of the fence. Rick quickly followed, stepping on a picnic bench. Both men fired bullet after bullet, but it was no good. There were just too many.

 

“It's no use Rick. We'll run outta ammo before we can even make a dent.” Daryl shouted.

 

“We got to try.” Rick shot back. 

 

All of the sudden, in the far left hand corner, a piece of metal siding from the fence broke off. The walkers reached their decayed arms through the opening. One of the walkers, who body was almost that of a skeleton, squeezed right through the opening. Rick hopped off the bench and shot it in the head. Another was able to slide through the opening, then another. Rick frantically fired his gun at the approaching walkers until it ran out of bullets.

“We gotta go Rick, this place is a loss.” Daryl said, pulling Rick's arm.

 

“This is my home.” Rick said, repeating what he said earlier.

 

“Not anymore!” Daryl barked, pulling more on Rick's arm. 

 

They both ran back to the house. Daryl grabbed for his backpack and called out for Jackson as they ran for the garage. The men and dog got into the Escalade in unison, closing its doors in no time.

 

Daryl opened the top visor, the hidden keys falling into his hands. He started the engine, put the car in reverse, then stomped hard on the accelerator pedal. The impact smashed open the gate. The walkers tried to surround the SUV, but Daryl quickly put the car on drive and hit the gas.

 

Rick looked out the back window to the sadden sight of his home being consumed by the dead.

 

Daryl looked at Rick with sympathy. “I'm sorry 'bout ur home.” Daryl said.

 

Rick looked back at Daryl then reached out and held Daryl's hand.

 

Rick then turned, facing the windshield. “Look out!” Rick shouted.

 

A walker was in the middle of the road. Daryl slammed on the brakes. He lost control of the steering wheel and smashed the front of the SUV hard into a tree.

 

Everything went black.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case u'all haven't noticed, not only have I fitted quotes from the I Am Legend movie, but also from seasons of TWD in no particular order. I've been having all kinds of fun with this fiction can't ya tell? I can't wait to get started on chapter 10! :)


	10. Into the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter, but I think it turned out alright. I worked hard on it all day so I hope you enjoy it. Lot's of surprises in store. ;)

**HHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNKKKKKK!.....**

 

Rick was starting to come to, when he heard the loud sound of the SVU's horn. Daryl was still out cold, his head on the deflating air bag, his upper body on the horn on the steering wheel. The noise would attracted the night seekers for sure, if the crash hadn't already. Rick had to act fast.

 

Rick quickly grabbed Daryl by the shirt with both hands in fists. “Daryl! Daryl! C'mon! Wake up! We gotta go!...Daryl C'mon!” Rick panicked.

 

Jackson tried to help. The old dog licked his masters face and barked right in his ear. The barking stirred Daryl awake. Daryl looked around his surroundings and spotted walkers from the distance in Rick's passenger window.

 

“Move!” Daryl shouted.

 

Both men and the pit bull ran as quickly as their legs could carry them. The night seekers came closer and seemed to multiply. They ran a half a mile when Rick pointed to a tall steel highway billboard ad. Daryl climbed the ladder to its metal ledge first. Rick picked up Jackson and handed the dog to Daryl before climbing up the ladder himself. Rick was halfway up when a walker grabbed a hold of his leg. Rick tried kicking the walker off with his free leg, but the walker kept pulling Rick's other leg harder. Daryl shot it in the head with the last bullet from his gun. Rick shook his leg to kick off the shot walker then quickly climbed up the top of the ledge. The heard was large and the only weapons Daryl and Rick had left were their knives. All they could do was wait it out.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Daryl awoke the next morning, before the sun appeared from the distance. He had Jackson cuddled up to one side and Rick on the other.

 

The man was having some sort of bad dream, so Daryl careful brought Rick's head to his lap and started stroking his hair to soothe him. A man could get lost in those curls of his, they were so soft. Daryl continued to gaze down to the sleeping man. He wanted nothing more but to keep Rick safe.

 

Minutes later, Rick started to slowly open his eyes. He realized that he was lying on Daryl's lap and quickly jump back. “Don't touch me.”

 

“Ya looked like ya was havin a nightmare. I was just tryin to calm ya down.” Daryl explained.

 

“Just leave me alone.” Rick said with sadness, curling his legs up to his chest.

 

“I was only tryin ta help.” Daryl said in his defense.

 

“I think you've helped me enough with my house and my car.” Rick answered, looking away.

 

“Ya didn't think that way when I was savin ya sorry ass.” Daryl spat.

 

“Why did you save me?” Rick asked, looking at Daryl then.

 

“Because it was the human thang to do.” Daryl answered.

 

Rick looked up to the rising of the sun. “Well maybe I picked the wrong day to be a human being.” Rick said to no one in particular.

 

Rick looked down at the ground, then to the distance of his smashed Escalade. “The heard had cleared up, we should get moving.”

 

Rick stepped down the ladder of the billboard. He held his arms out to help Daryl bring down Jackson.

 

Daryl hoped off the last step of the ladder when he saw Rick walking away. “Where ya goin?”

 

“To get my duffel, we'll need bullets.” Rick shouted from the distance.

 

Daryl and Jackson followed Rick back to the wrecked SVU. Rick grabbed his bag, opened it, then looked through to make sure he packed plenty of ammo. Rick pulled the bag handle to his shoulder and noticed Daryl scouting the area.

 

“What is it?” Rick asked.

 

“That's the roadway to the quarry, right?” Daryl wondered.

 

“Yeah, why?” Rick answered, a little confused.

 

“My truck is still there, C'mon.” Daryl said smiling.

 

They walked at a fast pace about 5 miles between the wreck and the quarry.

 

At last, they spotted Daryl's old blue Chevy. Daryl opened the driver's side door motioning for Jackson to get in first.

 

After they were all inside, Daryl went for his keys in the glove box. He turned the key to start the motor, but all it did was make funny clicking noises.

 

“Oh no, say it ain't so.” Daryl pleaded with his truck. He tried to start the motor a second time, but still it wouldn't start up the engine. Daryl hopped out of his truck to open the hood. Rick followed pursuit to see what the problem was.

 

“Aw shit! Was afraid of that.” Daryl said, peeved.

 

“What's wrong?” Rick asked, looking inside.

 

“Transmission is blown.” Daryl answered, pointing at it. Daryl closed back the hood then went into his truck for his backpack and crossbow.

 

“Now what do we do?” Rick asked.

 

“We walk.” Daryl said, tilting his head to the direction of the woods.

 

“Walk? Out there? Sure! While were at it, let's save the night seekers the trouble and call for them with a dinner bell.” Rick said sarcastic.

 

Daryl walked right up into Rick's personal space. “You rather deal with the night seekers back at yer place?”

 

“No.” Rick answered plainly.

 

“Then follow me.” Daryl ordered, walking into the woods.

 

Rick let out a big breath in annoyance, but followed the archer.

 

They spoke not a word to each other the first 6 miles. Rick kept walking ahead of Daryl as if he were trying to get away from the man. Rick got his boot caught on a root of a tree and almost tripped over.

 

“Hey, easy there.” Daryl said, catching Rick's arm.

 

“I'm fine!” Rick shot back, pushing his arm away from Daryl.

 

Daryl deeply sighed. “Rick. If were gonna be stickin around each other, we need to learn to work together. Ya gonna have to trust me.”

 

Rick turned around to face Daryl. “Your asking for me to pay you a very valuable price Daryl. Trust, is a very dangerous thing in this world.”

 

“Doesn't havta be that way.” Daryl said matter-of-fact.

 

“Yes it's does.” Rick answered softly, moving on.

 

They remained silent the rest of that afternoon. Daryl didn't want to say anything that would push Rick away even more. So he decided that he would try to have a talk with the hollowed shell of a man at nightfall.

 

The men went through the never ending forest, occasionally having to shoot a stray walker or two. They came across a run down abandoned car, but found nothing of use around or inside. The only thing that Rick picked up was the bottom of a broken Smirnoff Ice bottle. Daryl was puzzled as to why he wanted it, but shook his head and moved on.

 

As night approached, the small group of two men and a dog made camp in a clearing outside the forest. There was a farm close by with a barbed wire fence. The wiring was loose so Daryl collected it. He tried his best to create a circle around their campsite with the wire. Daryl also found a rusted cowbell and tied it to his homemade booby trap to listen for night seekers creeping onto them in the dark.

 

Daryl and Rick scavenged the field for some wood to make a fire. Daryl caught a mud snake that afternoon and wanted to cook it. Daryl handed his pocket lighter to Rick to help light a fire. Rick set up the kindling, still giving Daryl the silent treatment. Afterwards, Daryl cooked the snake on the open flames. The snake was going to taste bland without any kind of spice, but Daryl tried his best to not burn it.

 

Daryl and Rick were opposite of each other, facing the fire. They ate in that never ending uncomfortable silence, that Daryl was fed up with.

 

He finally broke the ice. “Were not the only survivors ya know.”

 

“We can't be” Daryl said, braking some pieces of his meat for Jackson and hand feeding the hungry dog. “You saw what's in that journal I showed ya that night. That safe place. That's where we need to be. Ya can't make it in this world without people man.”

 

Rick stared into the fire, chewing and swallowing his dried out meat.

 

“What if all the people there are already gone? What's if it's just another pipe dream?” Rick said still not looking up.

 

“You weren't.” Daryl answered.

 

“That was different.” Rick said. 

 

“How's it any different?” Daryl questioned.

 

“Alexandria could be gone. If we need to go anywhere, It should be DC.” Rick stated.

 

“What's in DC?” Daryl asked. Rick turned his head away from the fire and away from Daryl's eyes.

 

 

“Why all this secrecy with ya?” Daryl went on. “Why don't ya tell me about what ya did for a livin before the turn? Why don't ya tell me about your dream ya had last night?”...

 

“Why do you ask so many questions?” Rick interrupted, turning to head to look at Daryl.

 

“Cause ya ask none.” Daryl shot back.

 

Daryl huffed out a breath in aggravation, throwing the snake bones in the fire.

 

Rick looked at the troubled man for a moment then got up from his spot, walking to Daryl. He handed the last piece of his meat to Daryl as a peace offering.

 

Daryl looked up at Rick then at the meat in his hand. He took Rick's olive branch and gave Rick a small crocked smile. Rick gave a small grin back and sat next to him as the man took a bite.

 

Rick's smile faded when he looked down to his lap in thought. “If I'm secretive, I have my reasons.” Rick explained, looking back up at Daryl.

 

“I'll accept that for now.” Daryl complied.

 

“You should get some rest. I'll take first watch.” Rick offered.

 

“Ya sure?” Daryl asked.

 

“I'm positive.” Rick answered.

 

“K, thanks.” Daryl said as made himself a place by the fire to sleep. He pulled up his poncho from his backpack as a blanket, then used the backpack for a pillow. Jackson quickly followed, curling up in a ball near Daryl.

 

Rick stood up and went to his duffel for his gun belt. After he added more bullets to it's barrel, he closed it up and put it in it's holster.

 

Rick then took a few steps toward Daryl. “Well, Good night Daryl.”

 

“G'night Rick.” Daryl said sleepily.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

They left their campsite early that morning in hopes that the fire didn't attract too many walkers there way. The plan today was to try to get out of the woods and find a nearby town, thus try to find a working vehicle. Daryl and Rick were starting to get low on water too. Their bottles were almost empty, so they split up to search for some.

 

Rick was looking around the area of the woods where berries were growing. He thought maybe a water source would be there, but he saw nothing but trees.

 

Jackson lead Daryl in the opposite direction, using his nose to smell for water or walkers. The dog's nose stopped to the smell of some bushes with flowers. They both stopped and listened to the faint sound of water flowing. Daryl cleared a path of the thick bushes and scrubs to a small river that flowed into a beautiful lagoon. The place was well hid and untouched by walkers. Excited, Daryl quick ran out to find Rick. Daryl called for Rick by whistling a bird call.

 

Rick quickly ran back to Daryl and followed the bird whistle.

 

“Look there.” Daryl showed Rick as he cleared the branches so Rick could see.

 

Rick smiled and patted Daryl in the bicep. They both got on their knees to cup their hands for a drink. Jackson wasted no time lapping up the water to his mouth with his big dog tongue. The water was surprisingly clean and fresh so they both started filling their water bottles.

 

The water was so refreshing Daryl decided that he wanted to go in a wash up. He pulled off his vest along with his gun belt and knife and set them far away from the water so they wouldn't get wet. He then pulled up his shirt off and unbuttoned and pulled down his pants.

 

Rick looked up from his task of filling water bottles to what Daryl was doing, then turned his head away shyly and a little embarrassed.

 

Socks and boots also joined the pile Daryl made. All that remained on were his boxers. He quickly ran into the lagoon like a kid in the summertime, diving in and splashing the cool water. Jackson wagged his tail and happily joined his master, paddling around Daryl.

 

Rick turned his head back to see the playful man and his dog enjoying the swim.

 

“C'mon in Rick! The water's fine!” Daryl gestured.

 

Rick capped the full water bottle in his hand and stood up.

 

“Well...ok. Turn around.” Rick said bashfully.

 

“Oh c'mon Rick. I've seen ya half naked before. Just strip and get'in here.” Daryl encouraged.

 

“Just please, turn around.” Rick begged.

 

“Ok, ok. Ya big girl. I ain't lookin.” Daryl laughed, rolling his eyes and turning away from Rick's sight.

 

Rick repeated Daryl's actions from earlier. Putting his weapons down away from the water and putting his clothes by the shore so he could wash them later. Rick also wore nothing but his boxers and entered the lagoon. Rick tried to keep his body from the neck down in the water so Daryl couldn't see his scars.

 

Both men swam beside each other smiling and laughing. They had splash fights and would see who could swim the fastest.

 

Rick couldn't remember that last time he ever had so much fun. It felt so good to laugh and forget about the world around them. Even for only a moment.

 

After their playtime, both men gathered their clothes into the water to wash them. Jackson grew tired, so the dog swam back to shore and laid down by the lagoon, keeping watch over his human companions. Daryl and Rick would peak at one another in the corner of their eyes when they thought the other one wasn't looking.

 

Rick took a long glance at Daryl's body. The man was built like a male model who would spend hours in a gym. Rick had just as good of an athletic build, leaner perhaps, but he wasn't shaped like Daryl. The man's shoulders were broader then Rick's. He muscles more define then Rick's. He hair was the color of dark chocolate and was unruly on his face. Rick wanted to run his fingers through that hair and move those long strands from his face so he could see his eyes. He beautiful eyes, like dark sapphires.

 

Rick feasted his eyes further down, when Daryl was busy scrubbing his shirt, to the man's ass. The water line was half showing his perfectly sculpted cheeks.

 

Rick quickly turned back around. He face was beet red.

 

_ What is wrong with me?  _ Rick thought.

 

_It's not like I've never seen a man naked before._

 

_Daryl is very handsome. He must have been quite a lady's man before all of this._

 

_What do I keep feeling this way about him?_

 

_The man has been nothing but nice to me, that's all. That's why I'm falling for him._

 

_It's just some silly crush. He probably doesn't feel the same way._

 

Rick shook his head from his thoughts and starting scrubbing the dirt and walker blood from his jeans. Not paying attention, Rick turned his body to an angle to where Daryl can fully see his entire back.

 

Daryl finished cleaning his shirt and set it on the rocks of the shoreline to dry. Turning back around, Daryl got a good look at Rick's back. Daryl was shocked at what he saw. A pained expression drew across Daryl's face.

 

No wonder the man was distant and couldn't trust people. Daryl knew the marks of abuse when he saw them. He remembered in grade school. A boy named Zach, that always came to school black and blue. The boy would make up any excuse like he caught an elbow in gym class or he broke his ribs because he fell down the stairs. His heart ached for Rick.

 

All Daryl wanted to do in that moment was hold Rick, kiss his scars, and tell him that he would never let anyone hurt him like that ever again.

 

This new found knowledge proved Daryl's point. Rick needed to come with him to Alexandria now more then ever. Daryl needed to show him that the world wasn't all cruel. That there are still good people. Daryl just hoped and prayed when they got there, it wasn't too late.

 

Rick was cleaning the last of his clothes thinking of a way to convince Daryl to come with him to DC without telling him the real reasons why. He also didn't know when would be a good time to tell Daryl about Merle. Rick just knew that he needed to go to DC. The Umbrella Corporation's main headquarters were there. He needed to know exactly what happened that day. What went wrong with Rick's operative plan to bring them down. He needed to see for himself and remember The Hive, the virus, and any other of Umbrella's secrets.

 

Rick also had to know for sure.

 

If Umbrella was still operational.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

FLASHBACK (NOBODY'S POV)

 

**Merle tip toed quietly to the entrance of the secret laboratory, making sure the security cameras never saw him. He opened its doors with the encrypted code key Rick handed to him earlier that day. Merle sat his duffel bag down on a lab bench and got to work looking for the viles that held the virus. He looked through cabinets and small cooling systems. In a large glass cold case, he could see what he was looking for. The virus was in viles shaped like DNA strands. Merle quickly took out the viles and placed them on a nearby steel lab bench. He picked up his duffel and place it near the viles and started packing them into his bag. Merle slung the bag over and was about to turn around and leave when he heard the sound of a familiar voice.

 

“Stop right there! Hold your hands in the air and turn around slowly.” The voice ordered.

 

Merle slowly turn to see a man he knew with a gun in his hand pointed towards him. “Lieutenant Blake. So nice ta see ya again. Or should I now call ya Chairman Philip Blake.”

 

“Who the hell are you?” Philip demanded.

 

“Don't ya recognize a friendly face from ya past? I'm that nice Marine that ya had dishonorable discharged.” Merle explained.

 

“And just where do you think you are going with those?” Philip asked, pointing to Merle's bag.

 

“I owe a friend a favor so, I'm takin the virus to the press and the feds and have ya exposed for the slime ya really are.” Merle smugly answered.

 

“I don't think so, give me the bag.” Philip ordered, cocking his gun.

 

“Ya can't shoot me in here. This is a sealed clean room with explosive air tanks. Ya'll blow us both away.” Merle said stepping backwards.

 

“I'll take my chances, now give me the bag!” Philip warned.

 

“No!” Merle spat back.

 

“GIVE IT TO ME!” Philip yelled.

 

“NOT GONNA HAPPEN!” Merle yelled back, and instantly kicked the gun right out of Philip's hand.

 

Merle started punching Philip hard in the nose and jaw, knocking the man out long enough to set his bag down. Philip got up off the floor then grabbed Merle from behind and started punching him in the face right back.

 

Merle and Philip went on to there little dance of kicking, punching, and biting. Philip threw Merle hard against the lab bench that had the bag on top. The impact created a domino effect of knocking down beakers and petri dishes to the floor. A vile with the virus that Merle missed also fell and shattered into the floor.

 

Both men quickly get up on their feet and headed for the door. Philip grabbed Merle's duffel and ran out the door just before it sealed shut...**

 

 


	11. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not so sure I like how this chapter turned out, but non the less, here it is. I spent all day writing and rewriting it. All mistakes are mine so I do apologize.

Daryl and Rick spent months on foot, looking for food and shelter. The most important thing of all, transportation. They got a lucky break from the town of Lavonia, a town not far from the South Carolina border.

 

Daryl was able to repair a radiator on a Dodge Ram pick up truck. The small group drove for 5 days on the smaller highways. The walkers in the roads made the journey even longer and frustrating to deal with, but they somehow managed. The truck unfortunately finally gave out. Daryl's patchwork with sand and tire sealant to the radiator only got them as far as North Carolina.

 

Again, they had to walk through the woods. Rick didn't seem to mind anymore. He had the warm and friendly company of Daryl. Even Jackson was having an effect on Rick. Bonding with the pit bull triggered a memory that Rick almost lost forever. A time when Rick came home after work with a surprise for Carl's birthday. He gave his son a pug puppy. The bright smile on Carl's face that day made Rick's heart melt with joy. Carl named the dog Pugsley of all things, but Rick thought it was a fine name. Rick never knew that he still had some happy moments left from his past.

 

Rick was thinking too of what Daryl said about needing people to make it in this world. Perhaps he was right. Maybe they should go to the Alexandria safe zone, but still Rick needed to know first about DC. About the Umbrella Corporation. He had to make sure the place was gone for good. That the dead have taken over the hive. If the safe zone exists, he needed to keep those people safe. More importantly, he needed to keep his Daryl safe.

 

His Daryl? Was he his? In a friendship way, Yes he was. In a lovers way, No. It's a wrong choice of words to call Daryl his. They are equal partners now. Rick had to look past their friendship developing into something more. Being in a relationship can be dangerous, and Rick didn't want to become anyone's property anymore. Rick is his own master now.

 

 

Rick wasn't the only one that had a lot on his mind since their journey together. Daryl was noticing how much Rick was starting to feel more relaxed around him. Slowly Rick was opening up to him about his past life. Daryl tried to carefully not force anything out of him. He knew that Rick just needed time. To realize that they were friends and Rick could confide in Daryl. Daryl also hoped that they could be more then just friends.

 

Daryl was having feelings that he never knew he could have for anyone anymore. Daryl told himself years ago that he would never fall in love again. Not after his 7 year relationship with his first love, Shane Walsh. The man broke Daryl's heart so badly, that Daryl went through a whirlwind of endless parties to get wasted drunk and empty meaningless sex with strangers. He was very lucky that he didn't end up with an STD or worse. After Daryl got tested from a one time unprotected sex scare, he swore to himself he would never do anything reckless like that again. But now Daryl was breaking his rule for Rick. Daryl liked Rick a lot and maybe he was in love with him. At first Daryl thought it was because he was lonely and missed sex, or maybe they were the last two men left on earth, or maybe his sympathy over how Rick was mistreated; any number of excuses Daryl could come up with. None of them worked. Daryl Dixon had it bad for Rick Grimes.

 

 

It was the middle of the day and Rick was setting up a fire pit for Daryl's return. The weather was starting to get colder now and winter was on it's way, so the plan today was to search for a nearby house or town to look for some warm clothes and coats. Daryl wanted to go hunting for their lunch, so Rick set up their camp. He also looked around for any edible plants. Rick found some wild berries. They looked alright, but Rick decided to set them aside and wait for Daryl to inspect them.

 

Daryl arrived a half an hour later with a rabbit in his hand.

“I brought lunch.” Daryl grinned.

 

“I brought dessert.” Rick smiled back, showing Daryl the fruit he found. “Are they safe to eat?”

 

Daryl looked at the dark berries in a bowl Rick had in his hands.

“Those are mulberries. There safe.” Daryl answered.

 

Daryl set the dead rabbit down beside the fire pit to find his lighter in his pocket. He tried lighting it up, but all it did was make a small spark.

 

“Aw shit! I'm outta lighter fluid.” Daryl grumbled.

 

“I got you covered.” Rick reassured. He opened his duffel and pulled out the broken bottle bottom he found the day they first walked into the woods.

 

Daryl watched Rick carefully as to what he was planning to do. Rick took the glass to the sunlight at an angle. Catching the rays, he pointed it to the dried grass. The grass started to smoke. Rick then blew on the smoked grass and a fire flame started to appear. Rick put more dried grass and twigs into the flames until they grew.

 

Daryl looked at Rick amazed. “That's a neat trick. Ya was a boy scout growin up weren't ya? Always prepared.” Daryl joked.

 

“Maybe.” Rick shrugged his shoulders. Rick couldn't recall if he was or not.

 

Rick sat beside Jackson as he watched Daryl perform another one of his culinary masterpieces with the rabbit. Daryl was slicing up wild onions and turnips in a pot hanging over the fire to make rabbit stew. As the man started to skin the hide, Rick turned to look back at Jackson and started to rub the pit bull's ears.

 

“So you never did tell me where you found your little bodyguard over here.” Rick said, rubbing Jackson's back.

 

“I didn't find him, I caught him.” Daryl said as he broke the meat into pieces.

 

“What?” Rick said confused.

 

“Couple of months before the turn, Merle and I went on a weekend huntin trip. Anyways, we was out one mornin huntin for a buck.” Daryl continued, turning back around and placing the meat into a pot over the fire.

 

“When we came back to our camp out that afternoon, I found this guy here, his head inside my lunch bag, eatin up my food. I was pissed off at first. Merle wanted to shoot him down, but I stopped him. I looked at that mutt's face and he looked at me like he was lookin onto my soul. Silly right? But I felt like he was supposed to be my dog. Been with me ever since. Named him Jackson after, ya know, the singer Michael Jackson right? Lame isn't it?” Daryl finished.

 

“No, it's not.” Rick smiled softly. “Your very lucky Daryl. You were not alone when any of this started happening.”

 

Daryl walked to Rick and gently placed his hand on Rick's shoulder. “And now, neither are ya.”

 

Rick looked up a Daryl and placed his hand over Daryl's and gave him a crocked smile. Daryl gave him a big grim before turning to check on the stew.

 

“Soups on. Let's eat.” Daryl said as he walked back to cooking pot. Daryl taste tested it, then started ladling the soup into bowls. He set a bowl down for Jackson then handed the other to Rick. Hungry, they started eating the stew at a fast pace.

 

“Daryl, This stew is delicious! I'm so jealous right now. Wish I could cook like this. I always end up burning my food.” Rick said, scooping up another mouthful.

 

“It's nothin. Just learned a thang or two from my Mom.” Daryl replied.

 

“I would guess you used to be a chef before the turn, but you don't look like the type to dress like Chef Boyardee.” Rick joked.

 

Daryl laughed hard at that. “Hell no!”

 

“I know for sure you used to be a mechanic.” Rick said, finishing his lunch.

 

“I'm that obvious huh?” Daryl asked.

 

“No doubt. I mean, you knew for sure what was wrong with your truck near Atlanta and that Dodge we found by South Carolina? I mean, you patched that sucker up with the greatest of ease.” Rick complimented.

 

Daryl started to blush. “Was nothin.”

 

“No Daryl, If anything, your a surprising person.” Rick said, repeating what Daryl said of him back at Rick's home.

 

Rick handed some of the berries to Daryl before eating any in his own hands.

 

Daryl took a bite of one, enjoying its sweetness. “You never did tell me what ya used to do before the turn. Looks like I'm gonna have to guess. I'd say ya used to be a cop.”

 

“I look like a cop to you?” Rick grinned.

 

“You look like the type.” Daryl said, in a flirting tone.

 

Rick deeply breathed out and shyly smiled. Daryl was so close, but still so far away as to knowing who he really was. Rick didn't know if this time or any time would be easy to tell Daryl the truth. Rick had to plan it accordingly.

 

“We need to get goin before it gets dark.” Rick changed the subject.

 

“Ur right, we still need supplies for the comin cold.” Daryl added.

 

They gathered their things before they put out the campfire and headed back deep into the forest.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Daryl and Rick walked about 2 miles until they reached the end of the woods to a small highway. They spotted a sign in the distance saying: **Ruffin 3 miles**. Daryl unzipped his backpack, looking for his road map.

 

“Were almost to the Virginia border.” Daryl said, looking at the map. “You still haven't givin me ur decision as to goin with me to Alexandria.”

 

“I don't know Daryl. I still say we should try for DC.” Rick replied.

 

“Ya never told me what's there. Ya think we have a better chance findin people there or what?” Daryl questioned.

 

“Maybe.” Rick said in a half truth. Yes there could be people. The question is, good or bad. “Do we have to decide this now? I mean, were still a long ways from either location.”

 

Daryl deeply sighed, then looked into Rick's eyes.

 

“Ya need to decide somethin Rick. We need to be in Alexandria. We need this! It's a chance. Instead of just bein out here.” Daryl protested, pointing his finger to their surroundings. “Instead of just making it! Don't ya want one more day, with a chance?”

 

Rick turned to look at the road sign. He didn't know what to say to Daryl. The timing was still not right to tell him everything he knew about Umbrella or his brother.

 

Daryl looked at the map again and decided to make Rick a compromise. “There's another town close by Ruffin, Pelham. See the fork in the road after we pass there?” Daryl explained, showing Rick on the map. “West takes you to West Virginia. East takes you to Washington DC. You have until we get there to make your finally decision. Agreed?”

 

Rick looked up and slowly nodded. “Ok, agreed.”

 

So they walked North to the town of Ruffin hoping to find shelter and supplies.

 

 

As they entered, the town was like all the others they have been to. Quiet with no signs of life other then the occasional walker here and there scattered in the streets. They walked in further and saw a small discount store outside of the little town's square. They decided to check the place out, shooting walkers in the head along the way.

 

Daryl and Rick looked through the windows for walkers but the glass was too dirty so Daryl had an idea. Daryl started knocking on the glass with his fist.

 

“Wait a moment, they'll come to us.” Daryl said.

 

The men then walked to the dirty glass entrance and waited for the walkers to appear. Rick was leaning on its doors, listening for anything when he jumped to the startling sound of a walker slamming its body on the door. Another one appeared, then another. Neither Rick nor Daryl could tell how many were in there. All they could do was plan to shoot as many down as possible.

 

“Ya ready?” Daryl asked, looking to Rick.

 

“No, let's do this anyway.” Rick concurred.

 

Daryl broke the glass doors hard with his boot heel then quickly jumped back and started aiming heads of the dead with his gun. Rick followed pursuit, bring down as many walkers as he could.

 

Jackson barked at a walker that was coming closer to him, but Daryl quickly stepped in front of his dog and put the walker down with his last remaining bullet. Daryl then drew his crossbow and shot the last of the walkers with Rick.

 

After the last walker went down, Daryl called for Jackson to go inside to make sure the coast was clear. Rick looked at Daryl like he was crazy for sending his dog inside.

 

“No worries, he knows what's he's doin.” Daryl assured.

 

Jackson stepped out a minute later and gave a bark to let them know all was well.

 

“Good boy, Jackson.” Daryl smiled, rubbing the dog's head and feeding him the last piece of his squirrel jerky from his pocket.

 

Rick patted the dog on his head as well, not realizing he kept stroking the back of Daryl's hand in the process. The men looked at one another in that moment. When their hands came in contact, it was like they both got hit with a bolt of lightning. Rick cleared his throat and quickly took his hand back. Daryl took his hand off of Jackson as well and pretended to focus on reloading his gun.

 

Daryl and Rick get their bearings in order and continued to their task at hand.

 

The men entered to dark discount store with a gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other. They split up looking for anything they could use. The place looked like it was already looted, but a few things were left behind. Rick found some coats and gloves. Daryl found a couple of cans of food on the floor. Daryl also found one last bottle of lighter fluid for his metal lighter. Daryl was so happy he felt like a kid in a candy store, figuratively speaking.

 

Rick walked by the one-hour photo aisle and saw some display photos of happy families. Rick deeply sighed then picked up one of the frames. It was a boy with a fish in his hand next to his father, both dressed in fishing gear and smiling. Rick ran his hands on the photo, trying hard to think about his son Carl. Of any memory of them going fishing or doing anything father and son related. Rick put the frame back on the shelf, annoyed. He still couldn't remember much about his boy.

 

Rick sighed again, looking up this time and noticed the ceiling was damaged. It was never noticed because of how dark the rest of the inside was. It had a large hole above, located close to the back of the store. Rick walked closer to the hole in the ceiling. Plant vines peaked out of the hole from the roof. Something else was there too. He heard strange noises coming from the top. In the distance, from the hole, Rick could see a walker on the roof. Then he saw another one, dragging itself. And another. Rick eyes popped out in shock. He had to find Daryl.

 

“Daryl!” Rick tried to quietly shout. “Daryl come quick!”

 

Daryl heard the panic tone in Rick's voice and stopped what he was doing to find him.

 

“What's wrong?” Daryl asked.

 

Rick pointed to the hole above them with walkers on the roof. Daryl looked up to the frighting sight. They need to get out fast, before the whole roof collapsed on them. But it was too late. One of the walkers saw them below and walked right into the hole, falling and crashing into the ground. Another one followed. And many more walkers went into the hole. It became a dog pile of oozing guts and rotted flesh all over the floor. The weight of the dozens of walkers still on the roof, couldn't hold no more and Daryl and Rick ran out of the store with their bags as quickly as they could before the place caved in completely.

 

The crash of the collapsing rooftop caused to walkers in the town to turn toward the direction of the sound. Daryl and Rick started running quickly out of Ruffin, shooting anything that was coming for them. The group headed back into the woods, trying to hid from the walkers from the town. A small heard was forming outside Ruffin. A couple of the walkers broke out of the heard and creeped into the direction of the woods where Daryl and Rick ran. Rick started shooting walker after walker, running after Daryl and Jackson. Daryl was busy with a few uninvited friends of his own as he shoot arrow after arrow into the walking dead. Both men were getting exhausted, fatigue was hitting them fast, but they finally managed to bring down the walkers visible and outrun the rest.

 

“You ok?” Rick asked, panting.

 

“Yea.” Daryl said, panting for breath as well.

 

A walker hidden in mud was within arms reach of Daryl. Just as it was about to grab a hold of him, Jackson quickly attacked the walker. The dog bit the walker in the neck, trying to pin it down, but the walker grabbed a hold of Jackson and bit the dog on his side.

 

“NO!!!” Daryl screamed, shooting the walker in the head.

 

Daryl shoved the muddy corpse off of Jackson and immediately picked him up and looked around for a place to hide. Rick pointed to the direction of a nearby old barn. The men ran to the door and Rick closed the entryway after they were all inside. After Rick blocked the door with a large wooden beam, he rush to Daryl's side.

 

Daryl was still holding the injured dog. Jackson kept making crying and moaning noises in pain. Daryl cuddled his long time friend close into his chest. The pit bull looked into Daryl's eyes as if letting him know that he was dying and everything was alright. Daryl stroked the dog's fur then started singing a John Denver song his Mother used to sing to him when he was a little boy.

 

~~All my memories gather round her, miner's lady, stranger to blue water.~~  
~~Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye.~~

Daryl sang his heart out and tried so hard not to choke out a sob.

  
~~Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.~~  
~~West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads.~~

 

Daryl stopped when he felt Jackson's fur sliding off right into handfuls. The dogs eyes started to cloud and Daryl noticed the dog's gums were getting black.

 

Jackson slowly growled at Daryl. Daryl jumped to his feet looking at his dog changing into one of the undead. Daryl reached for his gun. The look of agony and pain on Daryl's face was too much to bear for Rick. He gently laid his hand over Daryl's holding the gun and looked into his eyes silently telling him he will do it.

 

Daryl gave him his gun and watched as Rick stood before the transforming dog of the dead. Jackson growled louder and tried crawling on the floor for Rick.

 

Rick pointed the gun to the dog and cocked the trigger.

 

“Sorry old friend.”

 

 

 

**BANG!**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me for 2 reasons. 1, for killing off Jackson and 2, still no sex between our favorite boys. I have at least 1 or 2 chapters left before the boys do the deed. I have some idea as to how I want them when they have sex, but still having a bit of writers block. Comments on the subject or anything else about my fiction is appreciated. Remember, this is more then just a sex only type story and I'm still new to writing especially something this long so please be gentle. Thanks.


	12. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited that I finished this chapter so quickly. I'm working on chapter 13 as we speak and hope to post it here shortly. Any comments and suggestions for the chapter of the boys doing the deed are appreciated.

It was a restless night for Rick and Daryl. Neither one of them got a wink of sleep. Rick was starting to worry about Daryl. He wasn't taken Jackson's death very well. The man wouldn't speak or even shed a tear. All Daryl did was sit and stare at the dirt floor of the barn. Rick wanted to say something to Daryl about how truly sorry he was that Jackson had to go the way he did, but he didn't want to make the situation with Daryl any worse.

 

That morning, they buried Jackson in a nearby meadow. Rick made a cross for the dog's grave out of old wooden picket fence panels left inside the barn. Daryl tied Jackson's red bandana on the cross and kneeled down beside the dog's newly covered grave. He said a little prayer Rick could barely hear, but got some words out like 'Goodbye old friend' and 'Until we meet again'.

 

Afterwards, neither man spook a word about that tragic night. Daryl was pacing around the barn like a caged animal. Rick would glace at Daryl ever so often as he packed up their new found things from the discount store.

 

Daryl finally had enough of staying inside the barn. “I'm gonna go out and hunt.” Daryl said, picking up his crossbow.

 

“Daryl, you don't have to go right now. I can go hunt for us this time.” Rick offered.

 

“Nah, I need some fresh air.” Daryl said, as he opened the barn door and quickly walked out, before giving Rick a chance to say anything.

 

 

Daryl only made it as far as a few feet from the barn. He sat down and leaned his back against an oak tree. Daryl fished out his cigarettes and lighter from his pocket. He put a cigarette to his mouth and lit it, deeply inhaling then exhaling the smoke. He looked at the burning end of the cigarette a moment before he pressed it down into the outside of his hand, between his thumb and index finger. Daryl screamed in agony.

 

Rick heard Daryl's screaming and rushed outside to find him. Rick took his gun out from his holster and cocked it, ready to kill anything that was attacking Daryl. He made it to Daryl's resting spot to see that it wasn't a walker that was causing Daryl pain, it was Daryl himself.

 

“My God! Daryl?” Rick said concerned. Rick got on his knees and looked at Daryl's burnt hand and Daryl started to cry. Daryl held onto Rick like a lifeline and Rick opened his arms to the sobbing man before him.

 

“Shhh...it's ok...I got you...Just let it out.” Rick said, holding Daryl tightly in his arms and stroking his hair away from his face.

 

“Your going to be ok man, I'm here.” Rick wanted to give back the same kindness and empathy Daryl gave to him.

 

Daryl allowed himself to breakdown. Only for Rick. Daryl never let out any kind of strong emotions for anyone in his life other then Merle. They stayed that way in their tight embrace for a few moments until Daryl calmed down to looked up at Rick.

 

Rick looked down at Daryl's injury “I need to apply some burn ointment.” Rick said softly as he looked up at Daryl.

 

Their lips were within inches from touching each other. Daryl and Rick's breathing became a little harder. Daryl leaned in closer to try to touch Rick's lips with his own, but Rick quickly drew back away.

 

“We um...We...need to get back to the barn. You need first aid.” Rick stuttered, trying hard not to look at Daryl's face.

 

Daryl made a sad expression, but gave Rick a nod and accepted Rick's hand to help him back on his feet.

 

After Rick bandaged up Daryl's hand, they grabbed their gear and carried on with their plan to set out for Pelham.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Daryl and Rick managed to make it out of the woods back into the small highway without seeing any walkers from Ruffin. The only sounds heard were the chirping of birds and their footsteps walking on the pavement. Daryl was looking at his map to see how close they were to Pelham, then tucked it back into his backpack.

 

“So what's ya favorite color?” Daryl asked.

 

Rick raised his eyebrow to the spur of the moment question. “It's ok Daryl. I know your still hurting, but we don't have to play that guessing game of ours right now.”

 

“Please Rick, I just need somethin to get my mind off of...” Daryl trailed off. He couldn't say Jackson's name. Not without breaking down again.

 

Rick placed his hand onto Daryl's shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I know, Daryl. OK.”

 

 

“Blue, I think. Or maybe Green?” Rick said, trying to answer Daryl's question.

 

“OoooK, How about ur favorite movie?” Daryl asked confused.

 

“I guess Gladiator?” Rick tried to think.

 

“You guess?” Daryl raised an eyebrow.

 

“I can't remember really.” Rick stopped walking a moment and tried to explain to Daryl why. “Something happened to me when the end of the world was born.

 

“Like what?” Daryl asked, curious.

 

Rick started walking again and Daryl walked beside him to listen.

 

“Well, I remember waking up in a bathroom, only it wasn't mine. I was in someone else's house. I blacked out from some security knock out gas. It must have done something to my mind.”

 

“Ya mean ya have amnesia?” Daryl wondered.

 

“Sort of. Not really, I mean, I know who I am and all, but I'm still having trouble remembering my long term memories. There slowly coming back to me though.” Rick explained.

 

“Ya said ya was in someone else's home? Like were ya called to go there to arrest a burglar or somethin?” Daryl guessed.

 

Rick just laughed hard at that.

 

“So where were you when the world came to an end?” Rick asked, avoiding answering the question.

 

“I was at the shop.” Daryl answered. “Merle works there too, but skipped that day. I was workin on a motorcycle engine when I heard on the TV about people gettin sick. The news man tellin people to stay at home away from infected people.”

 

“At first I thought it was just a lot of the same old bullshit till that afternoon when I saw some guy with a hoodie walkin funny toward my boss.” Daryl continued.

 

“My boss asked him if he was ok and then the guy bit him on the arm. The guys hoodie fell off his head and I saw him. Really saw him. With those cloudy eyes. People panicked and ran. I drove back to Merle's place to find him, but he wasn't there. At first I thought he might have been out gettin laid till I saw his Marine duffel bag was missin. Merle never takes it anywhere unless it's somethin important. That's when I realized for sure somethin was wrong.”

 

Rick felt so badly for Daryl. He can clearly tell how much Daryl loved his brother. He needed to tell Daryl everything he could remember about that day. Rick decided, he would confess about knowing Merle once they made it to Pelham.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Pelham was a small town just a few miles from the Virginia border. The fork in the road that Daryl mentioned before their trip to Ruffin, was right on the state line.

 

When they arrived, the place looked like a nuclear testing sight. Most of the buildings were burnt to the ground. Daryl and Rick looked around to see if there was anything of use, but there wasn't much left.

 

Daryl found what looked like a tire and lube shop and wanted to go inside to see if there was any vehicle inside he could repair. The garage door was blocked by a non running fire truck so Daryl and Rick tried to push and pull it away from the door.

 

“This is a lot harder then I thought.” Daryl grunted, trying to push the large truck.

 

“Keep trying, we almost got it.” Rick encouraged, pushing harder.

 

The men used all of their strength to move the fire truck away and finally had some room to open the garage door.

 

Catching their breath, Daryl opened his canteen for a drink of water then offered it to Rick.

 

“Thank you.” Rick said, drinking the water in a large gulp.

 

Daryl smiled at Rick, then looked up at the sky. There was an overcast and a cold chill in the air.

 

“Gonna snow for sure.” Daryl remarked to the weather.

 

“Looks that way.” Rick sighed.

 

Daryl put his angel wing vest back in and started loading his crossbow. After Pelham, they would be close to the fork in the road and Rick needed to reveal to Daryl everything Rick knew about Umbrella and Merle, before he lost his nerve.

 

“Daryl.” Rick started.

 

“Yeah?” Daryl answered.

 

“There's something I need to tell you.” Rick said nervous.

 

Daryl turned to look at him. “Ya mean, ya decided, on either Alexandria or DC?”

 

“Yes, but there's more.” Rick continued.

 

Daryl was clearing some ivy vines from the garage door before he slowly opened it.

 

“About where we're going. I think we should...” But Rick couldn't finish his sentence.

 

A walker grabbed a hold of Daryl through the ivy and tried to bite him in the arm. Rick quickly pushed the walker away and stabbed it's head with his knife. Daryl stepped back from the garage doorway and they both saw more coming through the ivy vines. Daryl and Rick started aiming for heads and stepped backwards fast, running away from the growing heard.

 

They ran to a still standing office building and quickly shut the glass door before any of the walkers could get in. Daryl locked the door and set his crossbow down on a desk trying to catch his breath.

 

“Looks like were gonna have ta wait.” Daryl said as he took a cigarette out of his pocket for a smoke.

 

Rick looked out to the walkers covering the glass door. One of the walkers had an Umbrella Corporation uniform on. Rick looked at the red and white symbol sewn on it's sleeve and it triggered a flashback from when Rick was at the Umbrella Academy learning karate and kick boxing.

 

Something in Rick snapped and he grabbed Daryl's crossbow and opened the glass door.

 

“Rick! Rick stop! What are you doin?” Daryl yelled.

 

Rick knocked out some of the walkers in one quick blow with his foot and began shooting their heads with his Colt Python. Rick then started kicking his foot up in the air the the walker in the Umbrella uniform in the head and started making crazy kung fu moves.

 

Daryl was about to fire his gun at the remaining walkers, but was stopped by the shocking sight of Rick going ape shit with them. “W-What the hell....?”

 

Rick didn't need Daryl's help at all. Rick was performing moves that put Neo from The Matrix to shame. Rick shot with his gun then kicked, then made another graceful karate move. He then shot the rest of the walkers in the head with Daryl's crossbow like a pro. Rick looked like he could shoot the crossbow better then Daryl himself.

 

After the last one collapsed to the ground, Rick shook his head and looked to what he just did. He then looked down to Daryl's crossbow in his hand.

 

_Damn! Did I just do that? I didn't know I had it in me._ Rick thought to himself.

 

Rick looked up at Daryl. The man was furious. Daryl walked quickly toward Rick.

 

“Daryl.” Rick said trying to explain. “Daryl?”

 

“Shut up! Just shut up!.” Daryl yelled. “What the hell was that all about? Ya goin all Jason Bourne out here. No local cop makes moves like that!”

 

“You said I was a cop, not me. You automatically assumed.” Rick stated.

 

Daryl grabbed his crossbow from Rick's hand and looked it over. “Ya told me ya didn't know how to shoot a crossbow.”

 

“I-I forgot.” Rick stuttered.

 

“Enough Rick! No more secrets! No more lies! You tell me who ya really are!” Daryl demanded.

 

Rick gave Daryl a cold stare then walled back into the office building for his duffel bag.

 

“Hey! Now I'm not done talkin to ya!” Daryl shouted, as he watched Rick walking towards the highway. Daryl quickly ran after him and grabbed a hold of Rick by his shirt, turning the man around to face him.

 

“Let go of me!” Rick pushed back. “I'm out of here.”

 

“No one is leavin till ya tell me the truth!” Daryl yelled.

 

“Quiet down, your going to attract more walkers.” Rick said, trying to calm the angry man.

 

“Fuck the walkers!” Daryl yelled louder. “Rick, Why wouldn't ya tell me who you really are, huh? What is so important in DC that ya can't go with me to Alexandria? Why Rick? Tell me why do ya have ta go to DC?”

 

“BECAUSE I WORKED FOR UMBRELLA!” Rick confessed. “Because I used to work for Umbrella. I was head of security. I protected the companies secrets. I knew what they were capable of.” Rick threaded his hand into his hair, feeling a headache sinking into his brain.

 

Daryl got into Rick personal space as if he wanted to yell some more, but all he did was stare into Rick's eyes. “Fuck you.” Daryl murmured.

 

Daryl was fed up with Rick lying to him and turned around, walking away.

 

“I knew your brother.” Rick added.

 

Daryl stopped at his tracks and slowly turned back around. “What did ya just say?” Daryl questioned, the anger increasing in his voice.

 

“I knew Merle. Your brother was part of a resistance against Umbrella.” Rick explained.

 

“No, No my brother was never part of any resistance. He would never keep anythin from me!” Daryl said.

 

“Well he kept this from you.” Rick answered.

 

Daryl thought to that day when Merle was talking crazy to him before he disappeared.

 

Rick looked down to his feet, then looked back up at Daryl. “I was your brother's contact.”

 

Daryl's eyes opened bigger and the rage inside of him took control. “You son of a bitch! You killed him!” Daryl yelled, pushing Rick hard in the chest.

 

“No! No I didn't! He was my friend. He was trying to help me!” Rick pleaded.

 

“You set him up! You left him there to die!” Daryl yelled. Moving closer to Rick.

 

Rick stepped backwards in panic. “No I...I don't remember.”

 

“I want the truth!” Daryl warned.

 

“I DON'T REMEMBER THE TRUTH!” Rick shouted.

 

“Ugghhh!” Daryl punched Rick hard in the face with his fist. Rick got on his feet then attacked Daryl back, punching him in the eye. They kicked and punched each other anywhere they could reach. Daryl threw Rick's body against a car and started punching his gut like a punching bag. Rick fought back by kicking Daryl in the shin and elbowing his chest in one fast blow. Daryl got up then tried punching Rick's face some more, Blood was covering Daryl's fist. Daryl's last punch knocked Rick off of his feet back onto the ground. 

 

Rick started to spit out a mouthful of blood. “Is that all you got?”

 

Daryl was about to hit Rick again but was stopped to the familiar sound of walkers close by.

 

“Get up.” Daryl ordered Rick.

 

“Just get up!” Daryl grabbed Rick by the arm, pulling the man back on his feet. “I'll take ya as far as the fork in the road. After that, Ur on ur own!”

 

“Daryl.” Rick tried to reach for Daryl, but the man just kept walking.

 

“Daryl, please.” Rick begged.

 

“Fuck you!” Daryl shouted back.

 

Rick watch the man gather his things and head back for the highway.

 

“I'm sorry.” Rick murmured.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How am I doing so far?


	13. Daryl's Prophecy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, but I wanted to post it anyway so I can try to work on chapter 14. I hope you enjoy it. Comments are always appreciated.

Daryl continued walking at the fast pace on the highway. He wanted to quickly take Rick to the fork in the road and have him out of his life for good. The man was a lier and a selfish prick. How dare he kept those kinds of secrets from him? Daryl was too upset for any kind of reason why.

 

Rick tried following Daryl as fast as his legs would carry him. He was still sore from their fight and wanted to stop Daryl and try to explain everything, but the man was being so difficult.

 

They were almost a mile from the split road when a walker creeped out from the woods and tried attacking them. More started to appear and Daryl and Rick tried shooting them down. The chaos caused Daryl and Rick to run back into the woods opposite of the heard of walkers.

 

Daryl and Rick passed through the multiple trees of the forest to a small lake in an open meadow. There was an old bridge the lead across to the other side. Daryl ran first on the bridge, but had to be real careful. The wood of the bridge was rotted and the bridge was unstable. After making it to the other side, Daryl gestured for Rick to carefully cross.

 

Rick was busy shooting walkers that followed them to the lake. Rick walked backwards to the bridge, aiming for as many heads as he could target. Daryl tried helping by aiming his crossbow and shooting arrows at a distance. Rick was starting to lose his balance on the rickety bridge.

 

Daryl looked at Rick and he remembered his dream of the mystery man on the bridge. The meadow and lake looked exactly the same. Where Rick was standing was identical.

 

“Rick! Rick, c'mon hurry off there!” Daryl said hysterical.

 

“Go! Leave me! I can handle it. Save yourself.” Rick shouted. Rick fired his last bullet and tried to hit one in the head with the handle of his gun.

 

The bridge started to break and one of the wooden floor panels split in half, causing Rick to fall overboard.

 

Rick splashed into the water along with a few walkers. The lake was deep so the walkers in the water ended up going under. And so did Rick.

 

“Rick! No!” Daryl screamed as he dove into the icy water. He looked all over under the water for Rick and saw him sinking down like a stone. Daryl quickly gathered Rick by his arms and pulled him up to the surface.

 

Daryl swam them back to shore then pulled Rick up and placed his arm to Daryl's shoulders. Daryl turned around and saw more of the heard. Some of the walkers made it through the bridge where Daryl and Rick were. Daryl tried to drag Rick away from the heard as fast as he could.

 

Daryl made it a few feet back into the woods and spotted in the distance what looked to be a seasonal cabin lodge. Daryl quickly dragged Rick's body to the location. He pulled Rick up the stairs to the porch and opened the door. He laid Rick down on the floor before closing the door behind them. Daryl locked the doors and pushed a tall wooden shelf against the door. He then took another heavy piece of wooden furniture and place it there as well.

 

Daryl then got on his knees to where he laid Rick.

 

“Rick, c'mon Rick breathe!” Daryl panicked, moving Rick to his back.

 

Daryl listened to Rick's chest for a heartbeat. He couldn't hear anything so he started preforming CPR. He made chest compressions 30 times then opened Rick's mouth to give him 2 quick breaths of air. “C'mon Rick wake up!”

 

Daryl continued his chest compressions on Rick, tears started to form in his eyes.

 

“Rick! C'mon! Goddammit! You never lost a fight in ur life! C'mon fight me! Fight!”

 

Rick stood up and quickly gasped a large breath of air. Rick slowly closed his eyes and passed out, his body spasming. Rick's skin was like ice. Daryl had to hurry and warm him up soon before his heart failed.

 

Daryl carried Rick to the lobby of the lodge and laid him on a soft rug beside the fireplace. Daryl then put some logs from a metal basket inside the fireplace. He pulled out his lighter from his pocket and lit a newspaper he picked off from a table. He then threw the newspaper on the logs. Daryl blew on the flames then started moving around the logs with a metal poker. Satisfied, he quickly looked around for a blanket or towels close by. Daryl pulled off a long thick blanket from a large couch looking over the fireplace and wrapped it around Rick. It wasn't enough. Daryl had to get Rick out of those wet clothes.

 

Daryl started pulling Rick's shirt off first, his pants, socks and shoes, followed. Daryl only left Rick's boxers on, then wrapped Rick's body back into the blanket trying to warm him. Daryl was also chilled to the bone from the icy water so he also removed his own clothes, clad only in his boxers.

 

Daryl then quickly looked all over the lodge to make sure they were securely safe from any walkers or night seekers that could be outside. He made sure the windows were sealed and the doors locked tight. The place was now safe so Daryl decided to look around for anything he could use to warm up Rick or dry him off. Daryl found some towels in a housekeeping linen closet and picked up a pile then went back into the lobby to tend to Rick.

 

Daryl kneeled down beside the passed out man and gently tried to dry his hair with one of the towels.

 

Rick was still shaking from being so cold. His breathing uneven. Daryl didn't know what else to do. The only thing he could think of was body heat.

 

Daryl laid Rick back down on the rug. Rick's boxers were still soaked. Trying his best not to look, Daryl pulled down Rick's boxers to his legs then removed them from his ankles. Daryl took off his own boxers then laid on top of Rick, wrapping the blanket around them. Daryl started stroking Rick's cold cheek and looked at him with more care and concern then he ever had for anyone else.

 

“Rick, Please wake up. Please. I'm so sorry I was an asshole to ya. I was angry. I know ya did it cuz ya were tryin to protect me, I think.”

 

“Please Rick.”

 

“Rick.”

 

“I love you.” Daryl whispered.

 

Daryl laying his head into Rick's chest, listening to his faint heartbeat.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

Daryl didn't know how long he laid asleep on top of Rick. The sound of Rick making strange groaning noises quickly stirred him up. Daryl looked at Rick closely. The strange grunting noises were getting louder. It almost sounded like Rick was becoming...

 

A walker! Daryl got off of Rick and went for his gun. Daryl pointed it at Rick's body.

 

Daryl was having a hard time holding the gun steady. He was shaking with fear.

 

Rick moaned and groaned some more, moving slowly in the blanket.

 

Daryl tried to cock the gun, but had a hard time keeping his hand still. Went he finally got the gun ready to shoot, Daryl just sat there trembling.

 

Daryl looked at his changing friend inside the blanket and tried to tell himself to shoot.

 

“I can't do it.” Daryl said in a shaky voice. “I just can't...”

 

Daryl decided to accept his fate at hand. If he was going to die, he wanted to die with Rick. “Do with me as you will.”

 

Rick rolled in the blanket till he was laying on his side.

 

“......Daryl.” Rick said in a low voice, Daryl could barely hear.

 

Daryl started crying hard, not caring at all of he was being a pussy. He crawled back to Rick and laid Rick's head on his lap. Rick's eyes were still closed, but Daryl was so relieved to know that Rick was alive. Daryl just looked at Rick's face and let his tears flow freely.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is. Sexy times on the way. I have to work long hours the rest of these weekdays, but I will try to finish the next chapter as quickly as I can. if I can't post it tonight, I will do so Saturday. Any suggestions anybody has on the boys in the lodge would be fabulous. ox


	14. The Show Me State boy and the Georgia Peach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Over 1,000 hits for my story? I didn't think it would have so much interest. I'm honored. Thank you all! Anyway here's the moment u'all have been waiting for. This chapter is definitely NSFW!

Daryl held onto Rick the rest of the night, keeping him warm. He didn't want to leave Rick alone even for a minute.

 

The fact that Daryl was naked, on top of a naked Rick, skin to skin, didn't occur in Daryl's mind, on how erotic this all was. This was more about survival and living, and Daryl vowed to protect Rick and keep him safe.

 

As dawn approached, Rick slowly started to wake up. “Daryl?”

 

“Rick!” Daryl said, overjoyed. “Oh thank God!” Daryl gently stroked Rick's face.

 

“What happened?” Rick asked, looking around confused.

 

“You fell off the bridge into the water remember?” Daryl answered.

 

Rick thought about it for a moment, but started remembering the walker attack by the lake.

 

Rick looked into Daryl's eyes, asking for forgiveness. “Daryl, I'm sorry about Merle. I should have told you. I-I didn't know if the should...”

 

“Don't worry 'bout that no more. What's important is ur safe. And...I'm sorry too. I've been such a jerk.”

 

Rick gave Daryl a soft smile and reached up to hug him. Daryl returned the hug without hesitation.

 

Rick noticed something odd under the covers. He felt...exposed.

 

“Daryl? We're naked.” Rick said, tensing up.

 

“Um yea.” Daryl blushed. “I was usin my body heat ta warm ya.”

 

“Oh.” Rick said in a small voice, almost disappointed that it was the only reason.

 

Daryl looked into Rick's eyes, this time full of desire.

 

“Are ya not tempted?” Daryl whispered.

 

Daryl slowly lowered his lips on Rick's for a soft kiss. Rick's lips were still, but not tight, and Daryl tried to gently open Rick's mouth to let him in. Rick replied and slowly opened his lips as Daryl kissed him even harder, but still in a gentle manner. Rick didn't know where he was supposed to put his arms, so he carefully wrapped them back around the older man's neck. Daryl started to moan into the kiss. Rick thought he heard himself moaning too and pulled away slowly from Daryl's lustful mouth.

 

“Was it wrong of me to do that?” Daryl asked, worried that he went too far.

 

“No, it's just...I...I never kissed a man before.” Rick said embarrassed and turning his face away from Daryl's gaze. He couldn't bear to see Daryl judging him on his inexperience.

 

Daryl gently put his hand to Rick's jaw and turned his head back to face him.

 

“Daryl? Was I...Was it ok?” Rick asked about the kiss, doubting himself.

 

“Oh Rick, Your amazing.” Daryl smiled and kissed him again. This time Rick didn't hesitate and he tried kissing Daryl with just as much effort.

 

The kiss started out again soft and gentle, but then Daryl wanted more, needed more and deepened the kiss. Rick tried to mimic Daryl's movements and held onto Daryl's shoulders and neck. Daryl kept touching Rick's sweet face then started to lower his hands to Rick's shoulders, then down to his sides. Daryl was about to wrap his arms around Rick's back.

 

Rick started to tense up again and pushed Daryl's hands away from his scarred back. They looked at each other, panting and trying to figure out what was going to happen next.

 

Daryl bent down and started kissing Rick between his neck and collarbone. Daryl ran his hands onto Rick chest, searching for a nipple. He gently rolled one of the buds between his thumb and finger. Rick gasped as the strange sensation. He never had anyone play with his chest before.

 

Rick could feel Daryl's cock harden against Rick's thigh. Rick knew what Daryl needed. For Daryl, Rick was going to do the one thing he swore he would never do again. He was going to sacrifice his free will and dignity. Rick knew how it was going to feel. There would be pain and blood and bruises, because that's how sex is between two men.

 

“You can be as rough as you like Daryl. Don't hold back.” Rick said placing one of Daryl's hands onto his throat.

 

“Rough with ya?” Daryl said, confused. Daryl took his hand off of Rick's neck. Rick looked at Daryl and worried, he wasn't giving Daryl the right signals.

 

Daryl lowered his hands to Rick's side, softly touching the downy skin and massaging in circular motions with his thumbs. Rick placed his hands on top of Daryl's, still touching his sides. Rick pushed Daryl's hands harder onto his hips.

 

“Come on a hit me. I can handle it. It's alright.” Rick encouraged.

 

Daryl looked at Rick puzzled. Why did Rick want Daryl to hit him?

 

“I'm not goin to hit ya Rick. I told ya I wasn't mad at ya about Merle.” Daryl tried to reassure.

 

Daryl still didn't get what Rick was offering. Rick knew what was missing. Rick started to lift up off of Daryl, trying to hide as much of his skin away from Daryl's eyes as he could.

 

“Rick? Where ya goin?” Daryl wondered.

 

Rick picked up his dried off t-shirt and put it on to hide his back, then crawled back to Daryl still laying in the blankets.

 

“Daryl, I know what you want and it's ok.” Rick turned around and got on all fours, lifting his ass in the air.

 

“Take me when your ready, just...please make it quick.” Rick said, feeling ashamed.

 

Daryl looked at Rick with a questionable face, but then realized what Rick was trying to say to him. It all started to make sense now. Rick telling him he could choke him, hit him, bruise him. Daryl knew for sure that Rick was more then just abused.

 

Daryl wasn't moving and Rick thought he did something wrong. Rick turned his head to face him. “Don't you want me?”

 

Daryl softly placed his hand to Rick's lower back. When he touched him, Rick turned his head away from Daryl's gaze and flinched.

 

“Rick, I don't wanna hurt ya.” Daryl said trying to hide the sadness in his voice.

 

“But your supposed to. That's how it's supposed to feel right?” Rick turned back to look at Daryl once more, a little embarrassed.

 

“I mean, guys are supposed to be rough, right?” Rick asked.

 

“Oh no Rick! It's not like that at all.” Daryl tried to explain. Daryl moved Rick's body, having Rick get off of his hands and knees and sit facing Daryl.

 

Daryl started stroking his hand on Rick's face, then brought Rick's lips to his in a small gentle kiss.

 

Daryl then tried to lift Rick's shirt off, but Rick hesitated. “No, Daryl. You don't want to see me. I'll disgust you.” Rick panicked, pulling Daryl's hands down.

 

“Shh, Let me. Please Rick. Let me see ya.” Daryl asked softly.

 

Daryl stroked his hands on Rick's arms to soothe the frightened man. Rick slowly tried to relax to Daryl's caresses. Daryl then tried once again to lift Rick's shirt off of his body, his eye's never leaving Rick's as he did so.

 

Rick started to tremble and almost wanted to cry when Daryl moved to get a closer look at his scarred back. Daryl looked at Rick's body before, when they were bathing at the lagoon, but never really saw Rick up close. Daryl could see how deep the cuts on Rick's back were. It looked like someone took a sharp knife or even a whip to his skin. Daryl wanted nothing more then to find the fucker who hurt Rick and make the bastard suffer.

 

But now was not the time for vengeance. Now this time was for Rick. Daryl wanted to show him how making love really is between two men.

 

Daryl starting kissing every one of Rick's scars as if it would somehow remove them forever. Daryl gently stroked Rick's skin while his kissed him all over his back. He could feel Rick's body quivering to his touch. Daryl raised up then kissed one of Rick's shoulders.

 

“Whoever did this to ya was wrong. Ya don't hurt the ones ya care for.” Daryl turned Rick's body so they were facing each other once more. “Rick, Ur so beautiful, Ya don't ever have ta hide from me.”

 

Rick gathered his courage and leaned in to kiss Daryl passionately. Daryl kissed back with just as much fire, as he held onto Rick, bring their bodies close.

 

They started to lower their bodies down together in a tangle of limbs on the blankets, neither one of them wanting to stop. But their lungs were screaming for oxygen and they had to hesitantly pull back.

 

Both men tried catching their breaths and then Daryl went back to Rick to steal another kiss. Daryl laid his body on top of Rick's, slowly lowering himself down to kiss every inch of Rick's creamy skin. Daryl kissed everywhere he could touch. Rick's arms, his nipples, his chest, his stomach and hips, Daryl couldn't get enough of Rick. The man was so intoxicating, like fine wine. Daryl continued kissing Rick's chest then lowered his hand to grasp on Rick's cock.

 

Rick started to tense up again and put his hand on top of Daryl's still stroking his cock. “What-What are you doing?” Rick asked, nervous.

 

“Let me do this for you Rick. Let me make you feel good.” Daryl answered, huskily.

 

“Rick, please let me. Do you trust me?” Daryl pleaded.

 

Rick looked at Daryl's face and could clearly see how vulnerable Daryl was. Rick had a feeling that Daryl wasn't the type of man to open up to anyone in his life. And right now Rick realized something else too. That Rick wasn't the only one who could get hurt by all of this. Rick felt nothing but love for Daryl in that very moment and wanted to give him the most valuable thing he could ever offer.

 

“I trust you Daryl.” Rick nodded.

 

Daryl felt relief and deeply sighed. He lowered his lips back to Rick's, kissing him with more passion and desire then ever. Daryl went back to stroking Rick's member. Rick was thick and a nice big size, slightly smaller then Daryl, but still well endowed. The man was also uncut, but Daryl loved it. He started playing with the foreskin, gently rubbing the tip with his finger and thumb. Rick shivered and moaned to Daryl's touch. Rick lifted himself towards Daryl's strokes wanting more. Everything Rick was feeling was so intense. He never knew it could feel so good.

 

Daryl then lowered his head and took Rick's cock into his mouth. Rick gasped at the sensation, trying hard not to move. Daryl started licking the head and putting just the tip between his lips, teasing Rick. He finally lowered his mouth, taking in as much of Rick as he could.

 

“Daryl...Daryl...You feel so good.” Rick whispered hoarsely.

 

Daryl continued sucking Rick long and deep. Rick moaned louder and lifted his hips once again to the sweet invasion of Daryl Dixon.

 

Rick gently threaded his fingers into Daryl's messy hair. Daryl stopped a second, expecting Rick to control his actions, but the man only wanted to touch him. Daryl smiled and went back to work on Rick's cock. Rick pulsed his body back and forth on the blankets. Daryl knew he was close and started to move his other hand to Rick's balls. He rubbed the sac then lowered his hand to Rick's perineum.

 

Rick kept chanting Daryl's name over and over. He couldn't take it anymore. Rick came hard into Daryl's mouth, his body spasming all over.

 

Daryl swallowed as much of Rick's cum as he could. He loved how he tasted, he loved Rick's smell. Fuck, he loved everything about the man.

 

Rick tried to calm his breathing as Daryl moved back up to face him. Rick smiled as Daryl gently wiped the sweat from Rick's temple. Rick placed his hand on top of Daryl's still stroking his face. Daryl touching Rick's face was becoming habitable, but Rick didn't mind at all.

 

Daryl lowered his lips back to Rick's for a sinful, open mouth kiss. Rick could taste himself on Daryl's tongue. It felt so dirty but also so sexy.

 

Daryl quickly broke the kiss. He never felt so aroused in his life. He wanted Rick, needed Rick, before the lust inside consumed him.

 

“Oh God Rick, I want you so bad.” Daryl moaned.

 

“I want you too, Daryl.” Rick panted. With a trembling hand, Rick gently grasped Daryl's quivering member. Rick moved closer to Daryl's face. Their lips just barely the touch of a feather. “Show me. Show me how's it's done.”

 

Daryl moved in and gave Rick another bone-melting kiss. Rick shivered and continued to stroke Daryl's cock as they kissed. Rick stroked Daryl long and hard, trying to make the older man feel just as good as he did. The overwhelming sensation of Rick's lips and hands were too much for Daryl. He had to slow things down just a bit.

 

“Easy baby, not so much. If ya keep goin, this will be all over.” Daryl panted, smiling. Rick blushed, but smiled back. He loved that he was able to send Daryl over the edge.

 

“Rick, I wanna do something for ya. Turn over.” Daryl said. Daryl could see the fear in Rick's eyes. “Rick, it's ok. I'm not gonna take ya. I just wanna relax ya.”

 

Rick laid on his stomach and waited for what Daryl was planning to do. He tried to take a few deep breaths to calm his body and mind. Just then, he felt Daryl's hands massaging his shoulders. Rick smiled, he could certainly handle this.

 

After a few minutes of loosening Rick's shoulder muscles, Daryl moved down Rick's back, using his fingers to draw circles on the sensitive skin. Rick began to squirm a little from the pleasurable sensations. Daryl went down further to Rick's lower back, trying to loosen the tense muscles. Daryl continued his massages and caresses of Rick's heated skin as his pressed kisses all over the younger man's neck. Rick was lost in the euphoria of it all, not paying attention to Daryl's hands reaching for his ass.

 

Daryl lowered his hands down Rick's back till he reached his goal. Daryl gently took a hold of Rick's peach of an ass. He felt like he was feeling up a teenager. Rick's ass was so perfect, soft and firm with tiny baby fine hairs. He slowly started to part Rick's cheeks. Rick began to tense up again.

 

“Rick. Do ya still trust me?” Daryl asked.

 

“Yes.” Rick whispered.

 

Rick didn't know what to expect in that moment, but he never thought in a million years he would feel Daryl's tongue licking his hole. Daryl lapped onto Rick's pink hole and could feel the younger man's body responding for more.

 

Rick started whimpering and moaning loud. It felt so strange, but so incredible. Rick had no control over his body. His hips started bucking and his cock was fully erect again. Rick rubbed his erection hard onto the blankets as Daryl kept rimming his loosening hole. Daryl held onto the younger man's hips enjoying the bittersweet taste of Rick Grimes.

 

Just as Daryl's tongue breached Rick's body, the younger man gripped his fists hard onto the blankets, tightly closing his eyes.

 

“Daryl...please...please.” Rick didn't know what he was saying please to. All he wanted was Daryl to give him something. Anything that would make him cum again.

 

Daryl stopped what he was doing and got on his knees. He gently placed the tip of his finger to Rick's opened hole. He slowly slided it in, trying to loosen Rick up even more. The man was still so tight, so Daryl put his fingers into his mouth to wet them, and placed two more inside Rick.

 

Daryl tried to scissor Rick open, but tried even harder not to hurt him. Daryl was leaking precome at the sight of Rick exposed. The man trusted him with his life and now as his lover. Daryl swore that he would continue to earn that trust till the day they died.

 

Daryl removed his fingers and Rick made a sad whimper at the lose.

 

Daryl placed a hand to Rick's hip. “Rick, turn over on ur back.”

 

“But, ain't you going to...you know.” Rick murmured, blushing.

 

“Only if you want me to Rick, but I want to see your face while I'm inside ya.” Daryl whispered.

 

Rick took a deep breath and nodded, turning over. Rick was about to open his legs for Daryl to go on top of him, but the man was looking around the room for something.

 

“We need some slick. Wait here.” Daryl gave Rick a quick peck on the lips then got up to look for some lube.

 

He walked past the lobby check-in desk to a small gift shop. Daryl quickly looked around the shelves till he found what he was looking for. He grabbed a small bottle of K-Y and rushed back to Rick.

 

Rick looked at him with a smirk. He didn't know a man could be so thoughtful. So giving. Rick wanted to return the favor someday.

 

Daryl poured some of the lube into his hand and started stroking an even amount onto his hard erection. Rick helped by replacing Daryl's hand with his own. The man was huge. Rick didn't know if Daryl would be able to fit inside him.

 

Daryl moved closer on top of Rick and Rick opened his legs to give the older man better access. Daryl poured more lube on his fingers and worked Rick's hole again to make sure the man was still open enough for what was about to happen next. Daryl then placed Rick's legs to his shoulders and lined his hard cock to Rick's aching hole.

 

Slowly, gently, he started to push. Rick tried to breathe deep and struggled to keep from crying out as Daryl slowly inched his cock inside him. Suddenly, the sense of being possessed, the remembered pain of entry overwhelmed Rick, and he grabbed Daryl's arms tightly, trying to keep out those shameful memories.

 

“No, ohh no...” Rick breathed out, trying not to move. Tears started to form from the corners of his eyes.

 

“Rick. Am I hurting you? I'll stop if you want.” Daryl wheezed, worried that he caused Rick pain. “I'll pull out, We can stop. It's ok.”

 

“No, please Daryl.” Rick whispered.

 

Rick continued his deep breathing as Daryl tried to soothe him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear and placing gentle kisses all over his face. Daryl kept his cock still inside Rick, waiting for the younger man to give him the signal to go on.

 

But Rick came to him, slowly lifting his hips in an attempt to push Daryl inside him completely. Daryl held onto Rick's hips, helping him, till Daryl's cock was fully sheathed.

 

They stayed still for a minute, then Daryl slowly moved in and out of Rick's hole. Rick held onto Daryl's shoulders, trying not to feel any pain. But there wasn't any at all to speak of. Daryl gave him time to adjust to the feeling of having a man inside of his body. Rick felt nothing but pleasure.

 

Daryl was hitting a spot that made Rick see stars. Rick moaned, trying to push Daryl deeper inside of him. Daryl lowered Rick's legs to his hips as he continued to thrust in and out of Rick's welcoming body. Despite Rick being abused from past wrongful entry, Rick was still so tight, so warm, and Daryl wondered if this was what heaven felt like.

 

“Are you ok?” Daryl panted, making sure Rick wasn't hurting.

 

Rick smiled up at Daryl, then placed his hand into the man's check. “I'm fine. Please...don't stop.” Rick whispered then moved closer to kiss him.

 

Daryl returned the kiss hard as he started moving in and out of Rick again, this time thrusting a little faster. Daryl kept aiming for Rick's prostate and the man moaned loud into Daryl's mouth, kissing so intense, he almost bit onto Daryl's lower lip.

 

Every thrust into Rick's ass sent Daryl higher, pleasure surging through him. Wanting Rick to feel even more pleasure, Daryl lowers his hand back onto Rick's cock, stroking him back to full hardness. Daryl's thrusts become faster, his strokes to Rick's cock more longer.

 

Rick gripped Daryl's shoulder tightly, he was starting to lose control.

 

“Daryl...oh God, Daryl...I'm...I'm...” Rick moaned.

 

“Let go baby, just let go.” Daryl gasped, feeling Rick's body shaking.

 

Rick came hard again, spilling into Daryl's fist and stomach. Rick's ass also tightened, the walls of his hole gripping onto Daryl's cock like a vise.

 

It was all too much for Daryl as he too came hard, spilling his seed deep inside of Rick, screaming Rick's name into his mouth.

 

Rick grabbed Daryl's head, pushing his tongue inside Daryl's mouth for a scorching kiss, as he felt Daryl cumming and quivering inside of him.

 

Exhausted and satiated, the lovers released their mouths.

 

Daryl looked into Rick's eyes to see if there was any doubt as to what just happened between them. He saw nothing but joy and happiness. Rick gave Daryl a warm smile and moved the two large unruly strands of Daryl's sweaty hair away from his face.

 

Daryl was about to pull out, but Rick stopped him at his tracks. “Stay inside me. It feels...right.”

 

“It's the same for me, but my knees are sore. Here, hold on ta me.” Daryl gripped Rick's hips in order to lay them in their sides.

 

Daryl was still inside Rick, but started to soften. Neither one of them could care less. All they wanted to do was hold each other.

 

“Are ya hungry? I can fix us somethin ta eat.” Daryl offered, caressing Rick's flank.

 

“Not right now. I just want to stay here with you.” Rick said softy, rubbing his leg on top of Daryl's.

 

“Besides, aren't you supposed to be keeping me warm?” Rick teased.

 

“Didn't I already do so?” Daryl smirked, winking his eye. Both men starting laughing playfully.

 

Daryl wrapped a thick blanket around Rick and himself, then laid back down on his back. Rick cuddled onto Daryl, wrapping his left arm onto the older man's chest. Rick laid his head down to listen to Daryl's strong heartbeat.

 

Rick became quiet as the minutes passed, and Daryl could feel Rick tensing up a little bit.

 

“Rick? Ya ok?” Daryl asked, worried that Rick was now regretting the whole thing.

 

Rick's arms held onto Daryl's body a little tighter. He was afraid to look into Daryl's eyes. He couldn't bear the rejection from what he was about to say.

 

“Daryl...I...I love you.” Rick closed his eyes, almost scared to hear Daryl's answer.

 

Rick knew telling Daryl he loved him sounded cliché after what they just did, but Rick had to tell Daryl how he truly felt before he lost the nerve.

 

Daryl lifted Rick's chin, making the young man look at him. “I love you too, Rick. So damn much!”

 

Daryl kissed Rick softly before wrapping his arms around Rick once more.

 

Rick was Daryl's now and Daryl was now Rick's.

 

Neither one of them was ever letting the other go.

 

 


	15. Perfect Storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to take this moment to thank u'all for the lovely comments and encouragement to try to finish this fiction. I will do my best to post chapter 16 soon. It will have to be after the holidays what with work and family time. Hope you like this. All mistakes are mine.

 

Later that morning, Daryl and Rick woke up from a quick cat nap. Daryl boiled a large pot of water from the fireplace and poured it into a jacuzzi tub in one of the guest bathrooms, so they could take a hot bath together.

 

After Daryl and Rick washed each other and rinsed off, they made love again in the tub till the water started to get cold. It was soft and gentle just like their first time. Daryl wanted to make sure Rick was happy and felt nothing but pleasure when he touched him. He knew Rick had been hurt in the past, physically and emotionally, and Daryl wanted Rick to have zero doubts of his love for him.

 

They made love again in the chef's kitchen. Daryl was trying to slice up Spam to fry in a skillet and Rick kept distracting him by removing the towel from his waist and kissing all over the man's neck and ears. Their playfulness turned into foreplay, turning into Daryl giving Rick an even more amazing blowjob, rimming him wet, then lifting Rick's ass up on top of the counter and fucking him fast and hard.

 

The knots in their stomachs from lack of food called it quits to their love games.

 

At least for now.

 

Rick found some clean clothes in a left behind suitcase and gave Daryl a blue-gray Hollister form fitting sweater and a pair of dark denim jeans. Rick had a hard time finding clothes in his size, but ended up finding clothes that would fit a teen. Rick decided on a burgundy form fitting long sleeve with black Nike sport pants.

 

After their brunch in the lobby of Spam, canned green beans and fruit, the couple sat on the plush rug by the fireplace, sipping on some stale tasting coffee. It wasn't the best stuff they ever had, but it was caffeine and warm.

 

Daryl was adding more wood to keep the fire burning. It felt even colder inside then yesterday. Rick walked to the large window of the lobby parlor. The windows were draped shut, so Rick opened the thick curtains to look outside. He eyes took in the majestic site before him.

 

“Hey weatherman! Come look quick!” Rick called, cheerfully.

 

Daryl walked to the window where Rick stood gazing outside. There was snow, a lot of it. It had to have been at least 20 inches.

 

“It must of happened last night.” Daryl stated. “No wonder it feels like hell froze over in here.”

 

Rick laughed, then turned to look at Daryl. “Well, guess we got lucky, you bringing us here.”

 

“Guess we did.” Daryl smiled. “We can't stay here forever ya know.”

 

“I know.” Rick agreed. “We need to wait it out, at least when some of the snow melts.”

 

“Yea.” Daryl nodded. “The snow will slow down the walkers, make it easier to travel.”

 

Rick turned back to look out the window then walked back to sit beside the fire. Daryl followed, sitting opposite of Rick. They sat for a few minutes, looking into the fire and sipping on their coffee mugs.

 

“Your right you know.” Rick said, breaking the silence. “About us needing to go to Alexandria. It wouldn't be a waste. I mean if we got there, at least we would know.”

 

Daryl listened carefully to Rick's surprising answer. “That day in Pelham, ya was goin to tell me ya wanted to go with me to West Virginia?”

 

“Yes.” Rick answered.

 

Rick opened Daryl's backpack beside him and pulled out the soldier's journal. Rick opened the book, looking through the pages of photos of the safe zone. Daryl scooted closer to look at the photographs as well.

 

“Wow! Look at this place. I never really took a good look at any of this back at my house. It seems too good to be true.” Rick said.

 

“It is true.” Daryl replied, placing a hand onto Rick's holding one side of the journal. “There's hope in that.”

 

Rick smiled and placed his other hand on top of Daryl's for a gentle squeeze.

 

Daryl looked back into the fire. It started going down, so Daryl added more kindling and poked the logs to stir the fire bigger. He put the fire poker back beside the fireplace and sat back down next to Rick.

 

“I keep lookin back to that day, when my brother talked all crazy.” Daryl said in all seriousness. “He wanted to tell me what he was plannin on doin, but he couldn't. He was tryin to protect me.”

 

Rick looked at Daryl with empathy. “We had to keep the operation a secret, even from those closest to us.”

 

Rick went silent, trying to figure out what he should or shouldn't say to Daryl. Last night he gave Daryl his trust. The man more then earned every penny. Daryl did more then save Rick's life, he saved his soul. Rick loved Daryl with all of his heart. He owed the man everything.

 

But now it was time for Daryl to trust him.

 

“I had a secret meeting with the leader of the resistance, Milton Mamet.” Rick explained.

 

“Milton Mamet? The journalist, news reporter, Milton Mamet?” Daryl asked.

 

“The same.” Rick smiled. “Anyway, I was telling him what Umbrella was planning on doing. We were going to smuggle something out of great importance. Milton mentioned your brother. How trustworthy Merle was and that he could steal what we needed out of The Hive.”

 

“The Hive?” Daryl wondered, scooting closer to Rick to hear more.

 

“The Hive is an underground secret operations warehouse. It also contains labs used for making experiments. You see, Umbrella was more then just pharmaceuticals and military weapons. They also experimented on making viral weaponry.”

 

Daryl's eyes opened wide to that last sentence. “What are ya sayin, Rick?”

 

Rick took a deep breath then looked at Daryl. “I'm saying...I think Umbrella is responsible for all of this. The infection, the deaths, the walkers,...Everything. They created the virus and it somehow broke free from The Hive.”

 

Daryl turned his head down to look at the journal beside him. Daryl picked it up and ran a hand over the cover. All he could think of in that moment was Merle. Something happened that day indeed. Merle was in that lab and something went wrong.

 

Rick must of sensed that Daryl was thinking of his brother. The man didn't have to say anything to know. His actions spoke volumes.

 

“Daryl?” Rick said, lifting Daryl's chin to look at him. “I'm so sorry about Merle. I don't know what happened that day in the lab. I wish I had the answers for you to ease your mind, but I don't.”

 

Daryl gently placed his hand to Rick's cheek, then took his other hand to the one Rick had on Daryl's chin and set it down, still holding the younger man's hand.

 

“You were right.” Daryl said moving the hand from Rick's cheek back on top of the journal.

 

“Right about what?” Rick asked, confused.

 

“We should go to DC. To find out if Umbrella still exists. To see for ourselves what happened in The Hive. Ya need the answers...We need the answers.” Daryl said, holding the journal up. “If this place is real, we need to go to DC first. To keep those people safe.”

 

Rick was surprised to Daryl's idea, but thought it was a great plan. He gave Daryl the biggest smile he could and leaned in closer to give Daryl a lingering deep kiss. Daryl kissed back, opening his mouth to let Rick in. They held onto each other for just a moment till Rick pulled back and pressed his forehead to Daryl's, catching his breath.

 

“We'll go to DC, then Alexandria. You have my promise.” Rick vowed.

 

“And ya have mine.” Daryl promised back. “C'mon, we have much plannin ta do.”

 

Daryl stood up then held his hand out to Rick to help him up on his feet. Daryl picked up his backpack, then Rick went for his duffel and they walked to the check-in desk by the lobby, to look through their things.

 

They placed their bags onto the large counter top. Rick went through their guns and ammo while Daryl spread out his wrinkled map, looking between the fork in the road and where they could be right now.

 

“Hmph, There isn't many bullets left. We need to look through this place for more, maybe even more weapons.” Rick stated.

 

Daryl nodded. “I think were here, about 5 somethin miles from the highway.” Daryl pointed on the map to show Rick. “If we go back to the highway, we need to go East all the way up, it will lead us to DC. It will take some time if we can't find a workin car.”

 

“We'll find a way. Your a very skilled mechanic. If we find any vehicle, I'm sure you can patch it up.” Rick assured, placing his hand on Daryl's shoulder.

 

Daryl smiled, his beautiful crooked smile that he made only for Rick, then turned the younger man to face him for another scorching open mouth kiss.

 

Rick softly moaned, wrapping his arms around Daryl. Daryl wrapped his arms around Rick's small waist, pressing their bodies tightly close. Their kissing became more urgent and needy. Their tongues fighting for dominance. Rick broke away to quickly pull off his shirt then kissed Daryl hard again. Daryl roamed his hands all over Rick's soft skin. He couldn't get enough of the young man.

 

He wanted Rick.

 

Now.

 

Daryl broke away to pull off his own shirt then went back to kissing Rick. Daryl then lowered his mouth to Rick's neck, kissing hard on his pulse point. Rick shivered, rubbing his hands all over Daryl's muscled back and arms. Rick loved Daryl's arms. So big and strong, but also so gentle and warm when Daryl held him. Rick felt so safe wrapped in Daryl's arms. He never wanted to lose that feeling.

 

Daryl continued his sweet assault of his mouth kissing and licking all over Rick's neck and chest.

 

Rick was starting to feel dizzy and weak in the knees.

 

He wanted Daryl too.

 

“C'mere.” Rick whispered hoarsely.

 

Daryl moved back up to kiss Rick's bee stinged lips. Daryl moaned into Rick's mouth even more when he felt the younger man lower his hands to the waist of his jeans. Rick unbuttoned Daryl's jeans then pulled the zipper down to slide his hand into Daryl's boxers. Rick started to gently stroke Daryl's hard cock. He gasped at the feeling of Daryl already leaking precome.

 

Daryl moaned and grunted as Rick's strokes became longer and faster. Rick's hand felt so good in his aching member, but it still wasn't enough.

 

Daryl reached for the helm of Rick's sport pants and lowered then down along with his underwear till the fabric pooled his ankles. Daryl also started stroking Rick's cock. Rick kissed Daryl and whimpered as he felt the older man stroking him to full hardness.

 

Daryl's other hand reached for Rick's round bottom. He slowly roamed his fingers down to Rick's crack till he found Rick's hole. He gently started to probe his finger inside. Rick flinched and yelped, breaking away.

 

“I'm sorry. Are ya sore there?” Daryl asked, worried.

 

Rick nodded, wrapping his arms back to Daryl's neck.

 

“I didn't hurt you did I?” Daryl whispered, with panic in his tone.

 

“No, I'm ok, but I think maybe you shouldn't go down there for tonight. I don't wanna be all broken the next time you want me.” Rick whispered, trying to lighten the mood.

 

“Rick, baby. We don't have to go any further tonight. Holding you is enough.” Daryl murmured.

 

“I know, but...” Rick stopped, lowing himself on his knees to Daryl's cock.

 

“I want to make you feel good, like you've made me feel good.” Rick said, touching Daryl's cock.

 

Daryl gasped, as he felt Rick stroking his cock again. “Rick...You don't havta do this.”

 

“I want to.” Rick whispered, then started licking the precome from the tip.

 

Daryl leaned against the counter as Rick licked Daryl's entire length in his hands. Rick then took the older man's cock into his mouth and began to suck him. It started out slow and gentle then Rick's movements became faster as his tried to take in as much of the Daryl's cock into his mouth as he could. Rick used his hand to stroke what he couldn't fit, the other hand was pressed onto the floor for leverage. Daryl felt like puddy in Rick's hands. He moaned load into the lobby hallway creating an echos of sounds.

 

“Rick...Rick...Oh baby. Oh ya feel so good.” Daryl chanted, gently stroking Rick's hair.

 

Rick continued sucking Daryl, loving the feeling of the man quivering in his mouth. Rick knew he was close, so he used his other hand to play with Daryl's balls.

 

Daryl bucked his hips in the air to Rick's wanting mouth. He couldn't take it anymore. Daryl was about to explode.

 

“Oh God Rick...Rick...Oh fuck Rick...” Daryl moaned, trying not to tighten his hand in Rick's hair. His other hand held tightly onto the edge of the counter.

 

Rick sucked harder, moved faster. He wanted to please Daryl so badly. Wanted the man to give Rick everything. While Daryl wasn't looking, Rick quickly licked one of his fingers wet, then moved it slowly to Daryl's perineum.

 

Curious, Rick moved his finger closer till he reached Daryl's hole. Rick moved his mouth faster onto Daryl's now very hard cock. Just as Rick place his finger inside Daryl's hole, The older man came hard into Rick mouth, screaming his name.

 

Rick felt Daryl's body spasm and swallowed and licked every drop of Daryl's cum as he could. Rick didn't mind the taste at all. It was Daryl, and the man tasted so good.

 

Daryl calmed his breathing as he looked down at Rick who looked at him with curious eyes. He knew what Rick was going to ask without the man saying a word. He wanted to know of he liked it.

 

Daryl smiled, then helped Rick up on his feet and gently kissed his pouty lips.

 

“Ya goin ta be the death of me.” Daryl smiled, sighing as he held Rick close.

 

Rick smiled back holding onto Daryl. Rick snuggled his face onto the nape of Daryl's neck. He wished this feeling of happiness would last forever.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Weeks passed and the snow melted enough so Daryl and Rick could leave for their journey to DC. During those weeks, they were able to pack up enough food and water. Rick couldn't find any ammo except an old hunting riffle with one box of shells. Daryl found an ax in the back of the lodge and took it with him just in case.

 

Rick hated to leave the lodge. He loved that the place was secluded from the real world. This world of death and disaster. Daryl loved the place too and promised Rick that they would come back to it someday. Daryl made sure to mark where the lodge was on the map.

 

The walk through Virginia was a rough one. Daryl and Rick made sure to dress warm and pack extra clothes. It was still very cold and their days on foot were of rain and ice. It made it harder to walk on the highway so Rick mentioned the railroad tracks nearby. Daryl liked the idea so they walked on the tracks instead.

 

The harsh cold weather was an advantage when it came to the walkers. Daryl was right, the snow did slow them down and it make camping at night a lot easier as well.

 

The couple was coming closer to the town of Keysville, which was about 80 miles from Richmond. They continued Northeast, walking on the train tracks. Daryl wanted to stop in the town for a working car. Rick couldn't agree more. They both were getting exhausted and they legs felt like they were going to fall off.

 

It was midday and the sun finally broke free from the clouds. They both decided to take a little break. Rick went out to the bushes to take a piss while Daryl scanned their surroundings for any sign of walkers. On his right, Daryl could see a banner nailed to a wooden electric pole.

 

Daryl walked up to it to read what it said: **'Sanctuary For All. Community For All. Those Who Arrive. Survive.'**

 

“Rick.” Daryl shouted. “Come quick. Check this out!”

 

Rick ran to Daryl and looked at the banner. He read what it said down to the very last word. **'Arcadia'.**

 

 

Rick knew he had seen that word before, it instantly triggered a memory.

 

“Oh no.” Rick murmured.

 

“Rick, What's wrong?” Daryl asked, looking at Rick's horrified face.

 

“Arcadia. It was a ship used from smuggling illegal drugs and weapons in and out of the country. It's also a code word.” Rick answered, staring at the sign.

 

“Don't you know what this means?” Rick said, looking back at Daryl with fear in his eyes.

 

“The Umbrella Corporation is still operational!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More twists coming soon.
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone! :)


	16. Arcadia

Daryl and Rick made it outside of Richmond a day later. Daryl was busy working on a engine of a Toyota pickup while Rick set out to look for gasoline. Both men had to be extremely careful with the walkers around them. Cities were a nesting ground for large herds of the undead.

 

Rick had to fight off a few walkers by the nearest gas station. After striking the walkers down, Rick took the two large empty gas bottles he found and started pumping the gas into them, filling them full. After he capped the bottles, Rick noticed something strange. A few feet away, one of the dead bodies had some crows covering it and feeding on its infected flesh. Rick looked at the crow's eyes closely. The eyes were red and cloudy. Rick had a very bad feeling in his gut again and slowly walked away from the crows before they spotted him.

 

Rick hurried back to Daryl who was starting up the repaired truck. Daryl turned on the ignition and the truck started up instantly.

 

“Yes!” Daryl said happily to his handy work.

 

Rick ran to Daryl's drivers side window and tapped on the glass. “Daryl, I think we better leave now.”

 

“What's wrong?” Daryl asked, opening the window.

 

Rick was about to answer, but was stopped to the sound of a crow cawing on a power line. Rick looked behind him and saw more crows on the nearby power line, eying him.

 

Daryl saw them and wondered why so many covered the power lines.

 

“What in the world is goin on with them?” Daryl whispered about the birds.

 

“Look at their eyes. They've been eating on the walkers.” Rick whispered back.

 

Daryl gestured for Rick to slowly get into the truck. Rick carefully set the filled gas bottles in the bed of the truck then slowly lifted the handle of the passenger door open and stepped inside. Rick tried to close the door softly, but it made a loud sound, startling the birds.

 

Daryl quickly hit the accelerator and drove as far from the flock of mad crows as he could. Some of the birds tried to hold on to the truck with their feet. Others started pecking on the glass. Rick rolled down the passenger window and tried shooting them off the truck. For the many that Rick put down, more seem to appear. It looked like a vast number of birds flying towards them to attack. Rick needed something more then just guns and bullets to rid them all.

 

“Look in my backpack. Try one of our homemade bombs.” Daryl suggested.

 

Rick picked out a steel pipe capped bomb from Daryl's backpack. Daryl gave Rick his lighter while driving, trying not to hit any walkers on the road. Rick lit the fuse then throw the bomb out the window to the larger flock of the crows.

 

The bomb went off with a loud boom, killing half of the birds and scaring the rest away.

 

Daryl and Rick watched the blast before turning back to keep their eyes on the road.

 

“That's somethin ya don't see everyday.” Daryl said, trying to humor his troubled companion.

 

“I wonder what other surprises wait for us in Arcadia.” Rick said in all seriousness.

 

“Whatever is there, we'll figure it out together.” Daryl assured, reaching for Rick's hand.

 

Rick held the offered hand to his lap. He started tracing circles in Daryl's palm. “I can't ask you to go with me. This is my battle...I have to face this on my own.”

 

“No Rick, Ya don't have ta fight alone. Not anymore. I'm goin with ya. No use arguin.” Daryl said, matter of fact.

 

Rick looked at Daryl with sad eyes then gave the man a quick nod. Rick turned back to the window, wondering what was in store for them.

 

Rick knew the Umbrella Corporation was still alive. What he couldn't figure out is why they placed signs offering survivors sanctuary. Were they trying to make amends for the damaged they have inflected to the world? Or was it a trap to trick people to go there so they could be killed off by swarms of walkers? Whatever the reason, Rick needed to know for sure.

 

Rick had a terrible feeling something bad was about to happen. He didn't want Daryl to help, he wanted him safe. But the man was too stubborn to back away. Rick held Daryl's hand tightly, trying to ease his mind before closing his eyes to attempt to try to sleep till they reached Maryland.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Daryl drove on till he reached the town of Woodbridge not far from the DC city limits. They were very close and had to be cautious of their surroundings.

 

The closer they came to the city of DC, the more unusual it seemed. There wasn't a walker in sight. Not even a dead body on the ground. This couldn't be right.

 

“Where the hell are all the geeks?” Daryl wondered out loud.

 

“The crows must of got them, picked their bones clean.” Rick said, looking at Daryl.

 

Daryl nodded in agreement then drove slowly till they made it to the road bridge between Virginia and DC Maryland.

 

There wasn't much left of the once proud capital of the United States. The White House was a pile of rocks. The Washington Monument was falling to pieces. The Lincoln Memorial was nothing but a pile of powered marble. The city was almost unrecognizable.

 

Daryl decided to stop the truck so they could walk instead for a better look around them.

 

Rick didn't see the need to explore. The place was a ghost town. Arcadia could very well be gone. The signs that lead people to come here could have been made right after the turn.

 

Rick was broken away from his thoughts when he heard Daryl calling for him close by.

 

Daryl was on the very top of a parking garage. Rick ran through the garage, floor to floor till he met Daryl at the top. Daryl pointed to a small building with a large chain link fence all around it. Walkers were also there, lots of them, covering the fence as if trying to tear it down.

 

“Umbrella's got to be there.” Rick said, looking at the scene before him.

 

“You think so?” Daryl asked looking on.

 

“Those walkers wouldn't be all over that place unless something living was inside.” Rick stated.

 

“How are we gonna break in there?” Daryl asked.

 

Rick looked down all over the area till he spotted a large diesel tank truck in the streets.

 

“With that.” Rick said, pointing to the truck. “I think I know a way on how to get inside.”

 

Daryl and Rick set up their plan to break down the fence and try to lure the walkers away. Daryl filled up some glass bottles with the diesel fuel and put a piece of cloth in each one to make fire bombs. Rick tried to find something sturdy to hold the accelerator down when the time came to speed up the truck to ram down the fence. He managed to find a cut off wooden beam from a construction site close by.

 

Rick put the beam into place on the accelerator pedal while Daryl opened the knob to the diesel tank and placed a long piece of cloth inside. Rick started up the truck then Daryl lit the fuse. Rick wedged the wood down on the petal then quickly jumped off the truck. Both men ran for cover before the truck crashed onto the fence and exploded.

 

Some of the walkers were on fire while others were attracted to the flames of the explosion. The walkers started covering their bodies on the truck. Daryl and Rick quickly ran past the distracted walkers to the single building within the perimeter. Daryl lit the diesel filled bottles and threw them as far as he could to draw the remaining walkers away.

 

They opened the large doors then quickly shut them before any of the walkers could get inside. Rick and Daryl pushed heavy wooden creates to hold the doors and keep the walkers outside.

 

Inside, it looks like an abandoned warehouse. It was almost empty, but something in the back caught Rick's eyes. There was a large elevator that lead down underground.

 

Both men got on the metal elevator and Rick set the lever down to the last floor. The floor levels got darker from lack of light so Daryl and Rick got out their flashlights. Rick set up his gun and Daryl his crossbow. Neither one of them was taken any chances.

 

When the elevator stopped, both men quietly got off and walked through a long tunnel. They were stopped to a fork in the road. The tunnel to their right had a sign on the walls saying: **'Welcome to Arcadia'**. The tunnel lead to the surface. They must of missed the main entrance somehow.

 

The tunnel to their left lead somewhere unknown. Rick was curious to see what was in there and walked to his left. Daryl followed, puzzled at the scene before them. Something was definitely not right. Daryl felt like there were eyes watching them.

 

As they walked on through the never ending hallway of tunnels, Daryl stopped to something moving up above him. Daryl knew he was right. He turned and spotted a camera above on the ceiling.

 

Rick was about to push a button to open an electronic sealed door when he heard Daryl running in the hallway.

 

“Rick! Rick wait!.” Daryl shouted, reaching for him.

 

But it was too late. Rick already pushed the button, opening the door. The reaction all of the sudden closed off the hallway Daryl was running on thus, putting a metal wall between Rick and Daryl.

 

“Daryl? DARYL!” Rick shouted, hitting his palms on the metal wall.

 

“Rick! I can't break through.” Daryl shouted back, trying to body slam the wall down.

 

It wasn't any good. Both men tried to fire bullets on the metal wall, but it seemed to be bullet proof. Neither one of them could hear each other and Daryl couldn't break through so he walked back the way he came to another nearby tunnel in hopes to find Rick.

 

Rick moved on forward to other side of the opened door. Inside it was still dark and felt cold, not just in temperature. There were computers and cabinets with counter tops. There were beakers and viles on the counter tops along with a small metal sink. This room must be a lab of some kind. Rick could also smell strange chemicals and another familiar smell. It smelled like rotted guts. Moving his flashlight for a better look, Rick could see some metal tables. They looked to be the kind you would find in a morgue.

 

Rick walked closer and saw the gruesome sight of what was on each table. Dead human bodies that were mutilated and chopped up. Some were deformed and others were mutated into something other then a walker.

 

Rick gasped hard and placed his hand to his opened mouth at the horrifying scene before him. People were lured here to be tortured.

 

But that wasn't all that Rick could see in the room. There was a faint blue glow to a window the lead to another part of the room. Rick walked slowly to the glowing light and looked out the window. There were people in cylinder water tanks, no not people. They looked like clones. Rick recognized their faces. They all looked like...Merle!

 

Rick's eyes opened wide to everything he was trying to absorb. Rick kept his gun close in his hand and walked backwards from the window till he backed into a large cylinder shaped tank.

 

Rick turned around and could see a naked man inside underwater with an oxygen mask strapped to his face. Rick could barely see the man inside so he put his flashlight into the tank for a better view.

 

“Merle!” Rick exclaimed. “Look at what they've done to you. Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of there.”

 

Rick set his gun down on a nearby metal table and looked for something to break the glass to free Merle. Rick was about to walk to a wall that had a emergency fire hose and ax inside the glass door until...

 

“Hold it right there! I don't know who the fuck you are, but before I kill you, I want you to turn around. I want to see who it is I'm going to gut tonight.” The man with the raspy voice demanded.

 

Rick held his hands up in the air and turned around to see his captor with a gun in his hands. The man had a thick beard but the eyes looked so familiar. Oh my God! It was him! It was...

 

“Blake?” Rick said. He remembered his bosses name. Right when he looked at his face for the first time since the turn. His name is Philip Blake.

 

“...Richard?” Philip replied.

 

“It can't be, your dead.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens! I will try to finish and post the next chapter this weekend.
> 
> Happy New Year everyone! :)


	17. The T-Virus

 

 

MULTIPLE FLASHBACKS (Philip's POV)

 

 

**“I can give you access inside The Umbrella Corporation. I have access to it's secrets, security, the works, but there's a price.” Rick waited for Milton to answer.

 

“Name it!” Milton demanded.

 

Rick took a deep breath. “You have to promise me that you will bring this Corporation down.”

 

Philip was hiding behind some far off trees outside the graveyard. He heard the whole meeting with an earpiece and microphone that could pick up sound within 100 feet. The rage started boiling his very blood. His Richard. His personal bodyguard and sex slave was going to betray him. Philip would not allow that. Not with all the riches of the world within his grasp.**

 

 

 

**“How do you like me Daddy?” Rick asked, as he was on his hands and knees naked in the dark gray bedroom of the tomb looking mansion. Philip fucked his Richard hard and dry, till the man could barely move.

 

After Rick passed out on the bed, Philip quickly broke into the security system box inside the basement and switched the knock out gas tube to a prototype that would cause memory loss. He then ran back for the bedroom and went inside the walk-in closet and packed his belongs in large brown Louis Vuitton suitcases. He could hear Rick waking up and turning on the shower faucets.

 

Philip quietly carried his bags into the grand hallway to the main doors then stopped to write on a piece of paper on a table. Philip started writing: “ **Today all your wildest dreams will come true.”** then set the pen down. He set off the security alarm by the doorway, triggering the gas, then picked up his bags and rushed out the door to his stretched black Hummer waiting outside.**

 

 

 

**Milton Mamet was walking in a parking garage, getting ready to leave from a long day at work. He pushed the button from his keyring to open his car door when Philip appeared out of nowhere in his personal space.

 

“Chairman Blake. What an unexpected surprise.” Milton said startled.

 

Before Milton could say anything else, Philip pointed a gun with a silencer directly to Milton's forehead and shot him. Philip quickly hid the gun back into his black trench coat and ran back to the black Hummer.**

 

 

 

**Merle started punching Philip hard in the nose and jaw, knocking the man out long enough to set his bag down. Philip got up off the floor then grabbed Merle from behind and started punching him in the face right back.

 

Merle and Philip went on to there little dance of kicking, punching, and biting. Philip threw Merle hard against the lab bench that had the bag on top. The impact created a domino effect of knocking down beakers and petri dishes to the floor. A vile with the virus that Merle missed also fell and shattered into the floor.

 

Both men quickly get up on their feet and headed for the door. Philip grabbed Merle's duffel and ran out the door just before it sealed shut.

 

Merle ran the opposite side of the hallways stopping for a second in his tracks, realizing he forgot his olive green duffel containing the virus.

 

“Oh Shit!” Merle panicked. He was about to go back till he saw Philip's men running after him. Merle ran quickly out of the Hive back to his motorcycle.

 

“Should we put him down sir?” Martinez asked, one of Philip's hinchmen.

 

“No. Bring him back to me alive.” Philip ordered.**

 

 

 

**“Carl, your father is here to pick you up early.” Carl's teacher, Mrs. Peletier said.

 

Carl got up from his desk and picked up his backpack. He was escorted outside to a large black Hummer. He father's boss was waiting outside next to the backside door.

 

“Where's my Daddy?” Carl asked, a little confused.

 

“Don't worry, I'll take you to your Dad. Just step inside son.” Philip said innocently.

 

Carl turned facing the backdoor. Just as he was about to lift the handle open, Philip quickly grabbed Carl from behind and covered his mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in Chloroform. The boy was passed out cold and Philip dragged the unconscious child into the limo then gestured his driver to drive away fast.**

 

 

 

**Outside Philip could already see the chaos forming from the outbreak of the virus. Despite everything, his conscience told him he couldn't leave his Richard behind. Philip told his driver to send him back to the mansion. But it was already too late. The place was covered with the undead and the military were surrounding his neighborhood. Philip took one last look at his home.

 

“Goodbye Richard.” Philip said out loud.

 

He told his driver to head for the airport.**

 

 

Rick and Philip stared at one another for a minute which felt more like an hour. Rick looked at his gun on the table and quickly tried to grab it, but Philip knocked him over and picked up Rick's Colt Python instead.

 

“Tsk, tsk, Now Richard. You are not being very polite.” Philip said darkly.

 

Philip pointed the Colt Python at Rick, who was trying to stand up.

 

“What have you done?” Rick asked with dismay, his hands still up in the air. He then looked around the room. Something was off. Philip was alone with no backup. “Where are your men?”

 

“Oh I killed my men. They wouldn't understand what I've accomplished. They couldn't see my vision.” Philip explained.

 

“Your vision?...You lured people here so you could experiment on them?...You made copies of Merle? For what? What kind of sick, twisted fuck are you?” Rick spat.

 

“I'm not sick. I'm freeing them from this new world. This Utopia of possibilities.” Philip said smugly.

 

“You wanted this to happen?” Rick asked, confused.

 

“Not at first. It was all about the money before. I was going to sell the virus to China. They offered the highest price. You remember all that money we had before, right Richard?” Philip smiled.

 

“And that's how you thought all my wildest dreams were going to come true?” Rick said, repeating Philip's note.

 

“I didn't know you were going to have a change of heart. You can't wash your hands from all of this. We work for the same company. You knew what we did.” Philip stated.

 

“I was trying to stop them.” Rick affirmed.

 

“You really think people like him will change anything?” Philip said, pointing to Merle in the tank.

 

“I would have made a fortune. I didn't know that son of a bitch left a vile with the virus on a table exposed. We had a fight, it got knocked over, breaking and escaping the lab. I almost didn't make it out.” Philip continued.

 

“Join me Richard.” Philip said, extending his hand to Rick. “This world can be ours. Yours and mine. Together we will be invincible. What do you say? Are you in or are you out?”

 

“I don't know what we had.” Rick said, keeping his eyes on Philip. “But it's over!”

 

Rick quickly kicked his gun from Philip's hand then tried to punch him in the face. Philip grabbed Rick's arm them tried to swing his body hard on a table. Rick fought back by kneeing Philip in the crouch. Philip placed both hands on his junk, screaming in pain as Rick then tried to bend down for his gun. Philip quickly picked up a metal suitcase and smacked Rick in the face, knocking the man unconscious.

 

“You want to play Richard? Fine! We'll play.” Philip huffed as he dragged Rick's body on the ground.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Daryl walked through the dark tunnel, trying to find a way back to Rick. The tunnel all of the sudden lit up, directing Daryl to another passageway. Daryl didn't know if he should follow where the lights were leading him, but what choice did he have right now. He walked to his left till he came across a large bright white room. At first it looked like nothing was there till Daryl spotted a control panel on a pedestal. He flipped the switch that said **Raise**.

 

Cryo chambers started to raise up from the floor. Daryl walked to the chambers to look inside. There were people. A lot of people. There had to be at least 200 survivors inside each one. They even had their names tagged on each frozen coffin. Daryl noticed a boy in one of the chambers. He looked inside to see the child.

 

“Carl!” Daryl exclaimed. “Your alive! I gotta find a way on how to get ya outta here. All of ya's.”

 

Daryl looked around to see if he could find a switch that would free everyone trapped in the chambers. He didn't see anything so Daryl walked out from where he came till the lights brightened to another room close by. The door said **Armory** on the front.

 

Daryl had a feeling he was going to need better weapons then just his crossbow and handgun. He didn't know who it was or what it was, he was dealing with. Daryl also more then anything needed to find Rick and make sure he was safe.

 

Daryl broke into the Armory and picked up a large machine gun and red handled machete. He also picked up a grenade belt and wrapped it around his waist. Daryl noticed something else very interesting inside. There was a self destruct bomb mounted on a wall. Daryl decided to keep it in the back of his mind for later. The bomb might come in handy.

 

Across the hall, the lights guided Daryl to another room. The doors said **Security** on them. Daryl opened the doors to a room with many TV's viewing the entire Hive, inside and out.

 

Daryl looked through all the screens hoping to see Rick. He finally came across a white operating room. Inside a strange man was hovering over a body on a operating table. The man started injecting the body on the table with some blue serum. The stranger finally moved so Daryl could see the person lying on the metal table. It was Rick!

 

Daryl had to quickly find where the room was before the mad man with the syringe put anything more inside of Rick.

 

Daryl grabbed his weapons, ready to leave when he saw what he was originally looking for. The button to open the cryo chambers. Daryl needed to remember how to come back to the security room. But first he needed to find Rick. Daryl had to rescue him before it was too late.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

After Philip injecting Rick with the virus, he waited for Rick to transform. Nothing happened so he injected more of the serum in Rick. Still nothing happened. Philip was becoming frustrated so he tried the increase the dose. Rick wouldn't even budge.

 

Pissed off, Philip stomped out of the operation room to the nearby control panel. Philip started pushing buttons that controlled robot arms that started electrical shock on Rick's body. Philip watched through the double sided glass. He was about to push the button to a robot hand that would inject a poisonous substance inside of Rick when he felt cold metal pressing hard onto the back of his neck.

 

“Step aside from the controls.” Daryl ordered.

 

Philip slowly stepped back from the control panel.

 

“Put ur hands in the air and turn around.” Daryl demanded.

 

Philip did what he was told and faced the man with the machine gun in his hands.

 

“You look familiar.” Philip said, trying to distract his captor. “You cannot be Merle's brother can you?”

 

“That ain't no of ur concern. Now let him go!” Daryl yelled, pointing to Rick from the window.

 

“Don't you want to see your brother? Merle is here. Alive. I will take you to him.” Philip offered.

 

Daryl's eyes opened wide to what his ears just heard. His brother was alive! But he needed to keep Rick away from this sadistic scientist now more then ever.

 

“First I want ya to release him.” Daryl said, nodding his head the direction of the operation room door.

 

“What does this man matter to you huh? He's nothing. Why is he so important to you? Unless...Wait I get it. Your fucking him airn't you?” Philip devilishly grinned.

 

Daryl turned away from Philip's face for a second before facing him again.

 

“Yeah that's what I thought. He's a wonderful piece of ass don't you think? Surely Richard has told you about what we had together?” Philip conceited.

 

“He didn't have ta tell me anythin. I saw the marks ya inflicted on Rick ta know what YA had with him.” Daryl spat.

 

“He enjoyed it! With every breath of his being. I gave him the keys to the kingdom. The man owed me everything!” Philip yelled.

 

Daryl shook his head. “I don't have time for this!”

 

Philip was about to reach for his gun in his holster when Daryl fired a bullet, nicking Philip's hand. Philip quickly leaped onto Daryl, trying to knock his gun from his hand. Both men fell onto the hard linoleum floor. Daryl fought back by trying to push Philip's hands off of his own hands holding the gun. Daryl turned his body to elbow Philip. He hit him smack in the jaw then tried to kick Philip's body away so Daryl could land back on his feet.

 

Daryl was about to reach for the handle to the door of the operating room when Philip suddenly grabbed him by the back of his angel wing vest and throw Daryl out the doorway of the control panel. Daryl's red handled machete slipped off his belt in the process, landing on the floor with a crash.

 

Philip started shooting his gun, missing Daryl. The brave man quickly got back up and fired back his own gun. Daryl tried running away from Philip as he started chasing Daryl throughout the hallways. Both men kept firing bullet after bullet at one another.

 

Daryl was stopped at his tracks by a glass door with walkers inside. Philip came closer, forcing Daryl to step backwards to the end of the hallway. This looked like the end for Daryl Dixon.

 

“Nowhere to run boy. Looks like its the end for you.” Philip gloated, cocking his gun.

 

“No. It's the end for ya!” Daryl shot back.

 

Daryl fired his gun to the lock of the glass door holding the walkers. The walkers quickly ran out and attacked Philip. One of the walkers bit Philip hard in the neck, taking a big chunk of his flesh.

 

“OOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!” screamed the evil man.

 

Philip placed one of his hands tightly to his wounded neck, then started shooting the heads of the mutated walkers, bring as many down as he could.

 

Daryl started shooting the walkers trying to attack him as well. When the last one crash down to the floor, Philip was beyond angry.

 

He went to the opposite side of the hallway to a glass door holding some dogs. But these were not ordinary dogs. There were the mutated undead. Philip opened their glass cage and quickly stepped away as the dog started running after Daryl.

 

Daryl quickly opened a door nearby, ran inside, and slammed it shut to escape the walker dogs. Philip ran the opposite direction.

 

“Where is the anti-virus! I need the anti-virus!” Philip panted, as he made his way back to the laboratory.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Rick slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but slowly becoming more focused. He looked around to see that he was in some kind of operating room.

 

Rick slowly raised up only to scream in pain. He had metal IV's injected all over his body. Some on his arms and legs and two in the side of his forehead. Rick was also wearing nothing but some kind of paper gown. Rick pulled out all the IV's, screaming in the process. He tried to step off the metal table, but lost his balance and fell to the floor.

 

Rick's body was shaking not from being cold, but from his blood flowing hard inside his body. He could feel something strange flowing through his veins. Rick held one of his painful arms in the air to see his moving veins. Something was happening to him, but he didn't know what. Philip did something to his body. Rick only hoped it wasn't something life threatening.

 

Rick looked up to see a double sided window. He forced himself up on his feet and walked up to the window.

 

“Hey! I know your in there!” Rick shouted, banging his fists on the glass. “Let me out! Let me out you psycho!”

 

Rick banged harder on the glass, but no one responded to his cries. “You sick fuck! Open the door!”

 

Rick huffed out a deep breath and turned to face the door. There was a card code key lock on the wall right beside it. Rick picked up one of the metal IV needles he pulled off himself from earlier and put the tip inside the card swiper.

 

Rick started jamming the metal in to attempt to break the lock. After a few loud thrusts in the card lock, the words on the screen said **Unlock** and opened the door.

 

Rick stepped out carefully. He didn't have anything on hand to defend himself so Rick looked around for anything useful. In the distance of the hallway, Rick could see blood splattered all over the place and bodies of walkers. What in the hell happened, Rick didn't know.

 

Rick looked inside the control panel of the operating room and saw a red handled machete on the ground. Rick picked it up, but felt like he wasn't the only one in the room. Rick quickly turned around armed and ready.

 

A little girl with long curly blond hair was standing there. She could easily resemble Rick's daughter.

 

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.” The girl said.

 

“Who are you?” Rick asked.

 

“My name is Judith. I'm an artificial intelligence computer that controls The Hive.”

 

“Oh yeah. I remember now. You were a prototype originally designed for The Hive in Atlanta.” Rick stated.

 

“The Governor moved my program to this facility when the outbreak began.” Judith explained.

 

“So what happened here?” Rick asked, pointing to the hallway of blood and walkers.

 

“Your friend Daryl tried to save you by unleashing the mutated walkers onto The Governor. He was bitten by one of the creatures. The resulting infection has caused massive mutation.” Judith answered.

 

Rick was starting to feel a little sick. He body felt like it wasn't his own anymore. “What is happening to me?” Rick said, holding his forehand with his palm.

 

“The Governor injected you with the t-virus. Your body is bonding with it. You are able to withstand infection. Thus, it could be used to destroy the biohazard for good.” Judith explained.

 

Rick turned to face to computer hologram child. “What are you saying?...Are you saying my blood, is the cure for all of this?”

 

“Correct.” Judith said. “This facility has all the equipment you will require to synthesize a cure or I can also place the necessary data to my mainframe on a disc.”

 

“This could all be stopped?” Rick asked, hopeful.

 

“Correct.” Judith answered. “There is however, a small problem.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry. It will get better. I promise.


	18. I Am God

Daryl kept holding the door shut to keep the walker dogs from coming inside. Daryl was trapped in a storage room. He couldn't hold the door for much longer. The dogs were surprisingly strong.

 

Daryl looked around the room to see if there was anything he could use to either kill the walker dogs or scare them away. He then remembered his grenade belt. One handed, Daryl picked off a hand grenade and pulled off the ring with his teeth. He opened the door slightly enough to squeeze the grenade through. Daryl ran for cover behind a metal cabinet.

 

The grenade exploded with a bang. The mutant dogs yelped in pain as they were blown to pieces. Daryl quickly loaded his machine gun and ran out of the storage room back into the hallway. The place looked like something off of a gore movie. Daryl almost threw up to the smell.

 

Daryl wiped the sweat from his brow, relieved that the dogs were gone, or so he thought. Behind him, Daryl could hear the growling sounds of more mutant dogs.

 

Daryl quickly fired his machine gun, aiming for as many heads as he could spot. One of the dogs almost chopped his fangs into Daryl's neck, but Daryl kicked the dog in the face and shot him down.

 

Two more dogs ran after Daryl, but the man leaped into the air like an acrobat then slit their throats with his hunting knife. Daryl landed back on the floor with a loud thump. He cocked his machine gun ready for anymore walker dogs, but it looked like they were all died.

 

Satisfied, Daryl quickly ran down the hallway to find his way back to the operating room for Rick.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Rick was in the armory, putting on an umbrella uniform. As he dressed, Judith explained to Rick what The Governor had been doing these past few years since the outbreak. About the survivors, the experiments, ways to develop a cure, anything that could be useful to Rick. Rick listened to every detail as he geared his vest and belt with weapons.

 

He placed the red handed machete in a sheath behind his back, crossed over his chest. He loaded a hand gun from the gun shelf and placed it in his vest holster. Rick was armed and ready for 'The Governor'. Judith also explained to Rick that he was going to face The Governor as a creature now far worse then any walker or night seeker.

 

Judith escorted Rick back to the doors of the last level of The Hive.

 

“I have him contained in the lower level, but I cannot hold him there for much longer.” Judith said.

 

Rick grabbed a flashlight from the wall with one hand, his gun cocked and loaded in the other. “Alright, let's go.” Rick nodded.

 

Judith opened the last level doors and dimmed the lights through the entryway to help camouflage Rick from the mutant Governor.

 

Rick slowly walked through the dark tunnel, his eyes everywhere scouting the area for the creature. He could see hand prints of blood on some of the hallway walls. The puddles of blood trailed back to the lab where he found Merle. Rick only hoped the man was ok.

 

Rick opened the door of the lab and could see that Merle was still contained in his cylinder prison. Relieved, Rick looked around, his gun pointed, ready for anything that would approach him.

 

Rick looked all over the messy lab. On one of the tables, he noticed a pile of used syringes. It looked like they once had some kind of green serum. Rick wondered if The Governor was trying to cure himself. Judith mentioned to him that The Governor has been trying for months to make an antidote against the t-virus.

 

Rick spotted another glass window opposite of the room with the clones of Merle. Inside, there were executed bodies of survivors spiked on metal rods. It looked like their were fed on, their blood drained from their bodies.

 

Rick made a gruesome face to the sight then turned around. Out of nowhere, there stood Blake, but it wasn't him anymore.

 

The Governor transformed into a deformed mutated creature. Half of his body was swollen and covered in sores from where the mutant walker bit him. One of his arms was longer then the other and his fingers were long and gnarly looking. His eyes glowed a bright shade of blood red.

 

The creature threw Rick hard, his body slammed onto Merle's water chamber. Rick quickly pulled out his machete and threw to in the air, it slashed into the creature between the shoulder blade and rib cage. The Governor creature screamed in pain then ran away out of the lab.

 

The Governor stopped for a moment in the hallway to pull out the red handled machete. He dropped it on the floor and his wound instantly healed back up. He turned to look to see if his once Richard was following him, then ran away fast to hide.

 

Merle's cylinder chamber started to crack then the whole thing shattered into pieces. Rick quickly reached for Merle and held onto him before the water carried his body away.

 

“Merle? Merle!” Rick said in panic and worry.

 

Merle was gasping for breath, but then suddenly stopped. He blacked out or he was dead. Rick lowered his head and made a saddened face. Poor Merle. How is he going to explain all of this to Daryl.

 

 _Daryl! Oh my God!_ Rick thought. He needed to defect The Governor and find Daryl. Rick can only hope that his love was far away from all of this chaos. Rick wanted nothing more then to think the man found a way out of this place safe from harm. But Rick knew Daryl all too well. If anything, Daryl was probably planning something of his own.

 

Rick picked off a long lab jacket he found on a chair and covered Merle's naked body with it. He stood up and walked back out to the hallway to look for the creature and kill it.

 

Rick could see a trail of blood from the creature's wound. It stopped halfway where Rick's machete laid on the floor. Rick picked it off the floor. He looked toward the direction of where the creature was possibly at and made an expression of fury.

 

Rick quickly ran into another room. It looked like a replica of the mansion. Rick looked around the grand hall. Everything was exactly the same. Even the table with the photo of Blake and himself was the same. Rick grabbed the photo to look at it. He suddenly saw a refection from the frame glass and quickly turned around.

 

The creature tried to hit Rick with his fist, but missed, breaking down the table. Rick moved back away to the wall. The creature tried to hit Rick again, but Rick stepped away fast. The creature only managed to smash a large hole in the wall. Rick pulled his machete from his sheath, ready to attack.

 

Rick and the creature started circling one another in the room. Rick quickly slashed the creatures torso then his back. The Governor creature fought back by grabbing Rick's hand, holding the machete. The creature pushed Rick's body hard, sliding him on the floor, hitting the wall.

 

The machete broke free from Rick's grasp. The end of the blade stabbed into the wooden floor. Rick tried to gather himself together and watched as the creature's wounds started to rapidly heal.

 

“You can't kill me.” The Governor creature gloated.

 

Rick quickly got up on his feet and ran to pick up his machete, but the creature extended his fingers like snakes, wrapping them around Rick's neck.

 

Rick coughed and gasped for breath, trying to reach for the handle of his machete. The creature made an evil smile, squeezing Rick's neck harder.

 

Rick stomped his foot hard onto the wooden floor. It jarred one of the floor boards, breaking the machete free. The machete flew into the air and Rick caught the handle and chopped the snake-like fingers off from his neck.

 

The creature screamed, moving his hand back to his arm. Rick struggled to catch his breath as the creature started healing his fingers. The Governor creature looked at Rick with pride in his eyes.

 

“I told you! I can't die!” The creature said in an evil monstrous voice.

 

Rick was running out of options. He didn't know what else to do.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Daryl ran throughout the hallways, looking for the operating room. The place was too big and Daryl lost his flashlight so he couldn't see. Suddenly as if someone was reading his mind, the lights that guided him before lit up the hallway. Daryl didn't know who was behind all of this, but saw a camera above him on the ceiling.

 

“Thank ya.” Daryl said to the camera, as the light guided him back to the operating room. Daryl looked inside but didn't see Rick anywhere.

 

 _Where can he be?_ Daryl wondered to himself. He ran back out to the control panel of the operating room. Still nothing, except Daryl noticed his red handled machete was missing. Daryl was relieved to know that Rick had protection.

 

Daryl ran back to the hallways, looking for a security camera.

 

“I don't know why ur helpin me, but if ya still are, lead me to the security room.” Daryl asked the camera from the ceiling.

 

The lights guided Daryl back to the direction of the security room. Daryl quickly went inside looking through the screens in search of Rick.

 

“I'm glad that you made it safe Mr. Dixon.” a voice from out of nowhere told Daryl.

 

Daryl quickly turned around with his gun in his hand, ready to fire and suddenly a holographic little girl appeared in the room.

 

“Who the hell are ya?” Daryl asked.

 

“My name is Judith. I'm an artificial intelligence computer that controls The Hive.” she answered.

 

“It was you wasn't it? Ya guided me through this place.” Daryl said, answering his own question.

 

“Correct. I knew that you would be important to keep alive. I also know that Rick is the key in stopping The Governor.” Judith explained.

 

“Where is Rick?” Is he ok?” Daryl asked, worried.

 

“For the time being, yes.” Judith said. She pointed to a screen that had Rick and the creature battling one another.

 

“Rick!” Daryl exclaimed, leaning over the screen for a closer look. “Eh God that mad scientist doesn't look so good.”

 

“The Governor was infected by one of his mutated walker creations. It caused a massive mutation to his DNA.” Judith clarified.

 

Daryl could see The Governor creature choking the life out of Rick.

 

“Help him! Is there anyway you can stop that thing?” Daryl panicked.

 

“I'm sorry. I have no access to the lower level. Only to its entryway.” Judith said in a sad child-like voice.

 

Daryl looked on at the TV screen, as Rick was able to chop off the mutated fingers from the creature and regained his breath.

 

“Run, Rick! Run!” Daryl harshly whispered.

 

The creature creeped up closer to Rick, but Rick looked at him unafraid.

 

“What is he doin?” Daryl wondered, looking at Judith.

 

The hologram child looked at Rick and smiled. “He's becoming the future.”

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Rick stood up with his machete in his hands ready for whatever was coming next. The creature extended his fingers once again for an attack.

 

Rick subconsciously thought of wanting to place a force field to block the mutated fingers away.

 

Sudden as if Rick's thoughts were real, he was able to freeze the extended fingers, then Rick thought hard and looked at the creature and pushed his body hard against a wall, without even touching him.

 

The creature flew up in the air and smashed into the wall to the other side.

 

Rick screamed in pain holding his head with his free hand. It felt like his brain was trapped in a vice.

 

 _I have telekinesis?_ Rick thought to himself. He shook his head, trying to pull himself together. This wasn't over yet.

 

The Governor creature stepped out from the wrecked wall furious.

 

“You...cannot...defeat...ME!” The creature screamed, as he too used his own telekinetic powers. He pushed Rick's body hard into a wall, smashing him into the other side in a room made of glass.

 

The room was nothing more then a hallway with neon lights illuminating the walls. Rick tried to stand back up as the creature moved closer to him.

 

Rick started kicking The Governor creature in the stomach then in the jaw. The creature turned to face Rick after the blow and smiled as if he didn't feel anything. Rick tried to punch him again, but the creature grabbed a hold of his fist. Rick started kicking the creature's side, but the evil mutant who still had a hold of Rick's fist pushed him off, causing Rick's body to slide to the end of the glass hallway. The creature growled loudly causing an echo.

 

Rick stood up quickly with the machete in his hand, ready to fight back, when out of nowhere a blue laser appeared in the background, behind The Governor creature. The mutant turned around to see as well. The laser was between the glass hallway walls, about a foot or two above the floor and it started coming closer. The creature jumped up in the air, trying to avoid the laser touching him.

 

Rick had a gut feeling that the laser was bad news so he was ready to jump away too. The laser came closer, it started to trail higher. Rick quickly jumped up high enough to hold onto the ceiling. Rick pulled as much of his body near the ceiling as he could.

 

It was a good thing too, because as the laser passed by, it was just inches away from touching Rick. It only went through Rick's machete, hanging from his belt. It sliced the blade in half like butter.

 

Rick leaped off of the ceiling back onto his feet. Rick looked at his sliced off machete then throw the useless weapon on the floor.

 

The Governor creature laughed at Rick and started to approach him with a feeling of victory.

 

“It's over Rick. We could have had it all together.” The creature smugly said.

 

“You forget who you are dealing with. I was your Governor once, now I Am God! And a God doesn't need anyone by his side.” The creature finished, getting ready to strike Rick down.

 

Rick started laughing a wicked laugh to the mutant's words. The Governor creature stopped and cocked an eyebrow, looking below at the crazy man.

 

“No. You are just...another asshole!” Rick said dryly.

 

Rick looked from behind the creature. The laser appeared again, this time in the shape of a net, weaving all over the hallway.

 

“And we are both going to die down here.” Rick smiled, nodding his head to the direction of the lasers.

 

The creature turned to face his doom before him. The lasers sliced through the creature with ease. Rick waited for the lasers to slice through him too.

 

He closed his eyes, waiting for his fate when all of the sudden the lasers paused and disappeared.

 

A man's hand was typing on a keyboard, deactivating the beams. It was Merle. He was dressed in the lab coat Rick laid on top of him.

 

Merle watched on the computer screen as the creature's body fell to the floor in pieces.

 

“Yea, ur God alright.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I can't believe this fiction is almost finished. I've had a lot of fun writing this story. Chapter 19 will have to be posted over the weekend. I have to work long hours tomorrow and won't have time to write. 
> 
> Stay safe out there this New Year's Eve. :)


	19. The Great Escape

Daryl puffed out a large breath he didn't realize he was holding for so long. He saw the whole thing unveil from the security screen. Rick was safe from the hideous creature.

 

“I thought ya said ya didn't have access down there.” Daryl said, looking at Judith.

 

“I don't.” Judith answered.

 

Daryl looked at the hologram child, confused.

 

“But if it wasn't ya, then...”Daryl trailed off as Judith pointed to another screen showing Merle.

 

Daryl's eyes opened wide and smiled with joy to the sight of seeing his big brother. The Governor didn't lie about Merle after all. He was alive and he saved Rick's life.

 

“Merle always did have a soft spot for those in need.” Daryl smirked.

 

Daryl turned back around to the open doorway that lead across to the armory. He remembered the self destruct bomb.

 

“I have ta finish this.” Daryl said, looking at Judith.

 

“I know.” Judith answered. Daryl didn't have to tell her what he was thinking. She already knew.

 

Daryl's expression changed as he was thinking about what it would mean for Judith. “What about you?” Daryl worried.

 

“I waited almost 3 years for this day. I'm tired.” Judith softly smiled.

 

“Here, give this to Rick. He will know what it's for.” Judith said, pointing to a CD ROM case by the controls.

 

Daryl picked up the case and looked at Judith for the very last time.

 

“Go now, You have to shut it down.” Judith waved goodbye, as she disappeared into nothing.

 

Daryl went into the armory to look over the bomb and how to set it off. He set the time for 30 minutes. Daryl hoped it would be enough time to release all the survivors and lead them out of this horrible place.

 

Daryl deeply sighed and pushed the large red button. He suddenly could hear Judith's voice echoing all over The Hive.

 

~~Attention! This facility will self destruct in precisely 30 minutes!~~

 

Daryl quickly ran back to the security room to press the button that would free the survivors from their cryo chambers. He then ran into the hallway to find the large white cryo room where they rested.

 

Judith never failed, and lit the way for Daryl. He quickly went inside to see the hundreds of people dressed in white jumpsuits waking up.

 

“Hurry! This place is gonna blow. Go back the the Arcadia entrance tunnel. Follow the lights!” Daryl shouted to everyone.

 

The people ran quickly out of the white cryo room back to the way they came from before. Daryl looked around for Carl's cylinder chamber. The boy was very groggy. He was one of the first that had been put to sleep and had trouble waking up.

 

“Carl, c'mon ya gotta wake up! Carl?” Daryl shouted, trying to shake the boy awake.

 

“All hell!” Daryl puffed as he picked up the child and carried him.

 

Daryl ran with the survivors back out to the Arcadia entryway tunnel. Daryl only hoped that Rick and Merle made it outside.

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Rick got his bearings and ran back to the lab. It didn't surprise him at all to see Merle standing there alive.

 

Rick walked up to Merle, extending his hand out for a shake. “Welcome back, Merle”

 

Merle instead gave Rick a big bear hug. “Good to see ya too Officer Friendly.”

 

After a moment, the two friends let go, still grinning from ear to ear.

 

“Daryl is going to be so thrilled to see you. He thinks the world of you.” Rick said happily.

 

“My baby brother is alive? Here?” Merle asked in shock.

 

“Yes. We found each other months ago. C'mon, let's go find him.” Rick said.

 

Just then, they heard Judith's voice on the intercom saying they had 30 minutes before the place was going to explode.

 

“Oh shit! We got to get out of here!” Rick panicked. “I hope Daryl is alright.”

 

“There's no time for sight seein. C'mon Rick, Move it!” Merle shouted out from the doorway.

 

Rick quickly followed, but was stopped at his tracks by his Colt Python laid out on a metal table. Rick picked up his gun and grinned, as if he missed an old friend and ran after Merle.

 

Both men ran to the direction of the Arcadia welcome sign entrance. Rick paused for a moment to the shocking sight of hundreds of people. There were men and women, even a handful of small children. Merle grabbed Rick by the arm and gestured him to follow the people dressed in white back outside away from the underground Hive.

 

Everyone ran quickly through the tunnel till they saw the light from outside. The tunnel lead back outside of DC close by the national forest. The sky was clear and the sun shined brightly as the people ran outside overjoyed to be free.

 

Rick and Merle ran out of the entryway then turned around, looking on as more survivors ran outside to their freedom.

 

The earth started to shake from their feet, as the underground erupted in an explosion. From the distance, Rick and Merle could see the ground of The Hive below start to sink in. Smoke rose from the wreckage.

 

“We have to go back for Daryl!” Rick said, worried sick.

 

Merle noticed someone from the crowd of the entryway who wasn't dressed in white. Merle knew who it was and grinned.

 

“I wouldn't worry bout my baby brother. For look out yonder.” Merle pointed.

 

Rick turned to look back at the entryway. Daryl made it out safe from harm and he was carrying a child in his arms.

 

The child was talking with Daryl, but stopped when he looked at Rick. Daryl set Carl back down and the boy ran quickly to his father.

 

“Daddy!” Carl happily shouted, reaching his arms to his father.

 

Rick quickly ran to his son, tears started to flow through his eyes. Rick crouched down and gave Carl a big hug and held his son close.

 

Daryl then ran to Merle. The brothers happily laughed as they gave each other a big brotherly hug and patted each other on the back.

 

“I thought I'd lost you forever.” Carl cried, as he cuddled into his father's chest.

 

“No, never!” Rick cried, smiling.

 

Rick placed both palms of his hands onto his son's face, just so he could take a look at him. Rick still couldn't believe his eyes. His precious baby boy was alive and well.

 

Rick looked up at Daryl, who gave Rick his famous crooked grin that was made only for him.

 

Rick got on his feet and stood tall as he looked into the eyes of his love.

 

Daryl walked toward Rick and handed him the CD case.

 

Rick took the offered case, then cocked up an eyebrow back at Daryl.

 

“From a mutual friend of ours.” Daryl smiled.

 

Rick opened the case and read a printed note that was inside.

 

 

** Take care of the living. **

** The new world's going to need Rick Grimes. **

** Good Luck, Judith **

 

 

Rick looked up and gave Daryl a big smile right back. Daryl only nodded as if he understood what it all meant.

 

The two men embraced one another for a long soft kiss. Out of all the kisses Daryl and Rick exchanged throughout their journey, this one was the most passionate and pure. It put them all to shame.

 

“Oh geez.” Carl said, rolling his eyes.

 

“I agree with ya kid. Get a room ya two.” Merle chucked.

 

Daryl and Rick laughed in unison, then turned to look at their little family.

 

The lovers reluctantly let go as they watched in amazement of all the people that have made it in this new world.

 

“I can't believe there are so many of us left alive. It's like a dream.” Rick said in awe.

 

“I told ya the man upstairs had a plan.” Daryl grinned. “So what happens now?”

 

Rick gently placed his hand on Daryl's shoulder and gave him a warm smile. “Now, we live up to our promise.”

 

“Daddy. Look!” Carl said, pointing up to the sky. The explosion set off colors of light the reached high above. I almost looked like the 4th of July.

 

Rick picked up Carl by one arm and looked up. Daryl and Merle joined them as everyone looked into the sparkling sky.

 

They were alive and reunited. Now it was time to find a new home.

 

All of them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last Chapter and this story is all over. I'm almost sad to see it end. 
> 
> I'm thinking of making a short story to go with this. Perhaps a sexy PWP type of story.  
> We'll see. :)


	20. Safe Haven - Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is the end my friends. I do hope you all have enjoyed this fiction.

***One Month Later***

 

Daryl and Rick's final journey was to the great state of West Virginia. They made a promise back at the lodge, and they were going to keep that promise. It was with great hope and wonder that the Alexandria safe-zone truly existed.

 

Merle and Carl were with them one hundred percent, no questioned asked. Most of the survivors joined them while others wanted to go back to their home states to search for their families.

 

Rick tried to persuade the people who refused to join them, that in most cases, there families were probably long dead. But the small group of people wouldn't hear of it and wanted to go back home. Rick couldn't force them to come to Alexandria, so he made sure they had some food and water and wished them good luck.

 

Throughout most of the trip, Rick and his people were able to ride in an old school bus Daryl and Merle patched up. The rest of the one hundred and twenty miles, they had to continue on foot due to a gas shortage.

 

Killing quite a few walkers along the way, the group walked through the national forest till they reached a bald spot out of the trees to a hill. Rick walked up to the edge of the exposed hill to look at the horizon.

 

Down below, he could see a tall steel fenced gated community. There were many homes and buildings and even a radio tower within it's walls. Rick could see people working and children playing in a small park.

 

Rick smiled brightly to the unbelievable site.

 

“Daryl! Over here quick!” Rick turned and shouted.

 

Daryl and the others ran to the hill where Rick stood to look down below. Everyone smiled and gave one another a small hug in joy to the glorious site before them.

 

“You did it Daryl. It's really real. You found Alexandria.” Rick smiled, patting Daryl on the shoulder.

 

“No Rick. We did it!” Daryl grinned, placing his hand on top of Rick's on his shoulder.

 

 

Once down the valley to the entrance gate, they were welcomed with open arms. A short older woman named Deanna was the mayor of the safe zone and was more thrilled then anyone to see new people.

 

Daryl recognized her from the soldier's pictures in the journal and handed the book to her.

 

“This was ur son's I believe. He saved our lives in a way. Lead us all here.” Daryl told her.

 

Deanna took the offered book and smiled, getting a little teary-eyed. “It belonged to my oldest, Aiden. I'm so glad it was in the hands of good people. He would have been glad too. Thank you for this.”

 

As they settled into their new home, they were all giving jobs to earn their keep. Rick was offered a job in charge of security, even though he preferred gardening. Daryl and Merle took care of the electrical work as well as the mechanics. Carl of course went to school.

 

Surprisingly enough, his teacher was Mrs. Peletier. She and her husband, Morgan made it out of Atlanta before the chaos in the city grew worse. Carl was so happy to see her again.

 

The community was blessed to have a doctor. Rick was introduced to Dr. Steven Edwards and Rick handed him the CD ROM along with a sample of his blood to help in creating a cure or vaccine from the virus.

 

Rick and Daryl happily settled into a Victorian home about 3 houses from a nice couple named Aaron and Eric Raleigh. It was good to know that they were not the only gay couple in the community.

 

Merle was shockingly all for Daryl being with Rick. It made sense to him and he wanted his baby brother to be happy and loved. Rick was a smart choice.

 

Things could not have been more perfect. One morning, Carl was learning how to shoot Daryl's crossbow. Daryl and Merle were completing over who was the best shot and Rick would just shake his head and laugh, listening to the brothers bickering as he tended to his small vegetable garden.

 

Carl was trying to aim for the bulls eye target in their yard, but lost his direction.

 

“Daddy. Look out!” Carl shouted.

 

The arrow was about to hit Rick in the head. Without even turning around, Rick caught the arrow, gripping it tightly as if it was nothing. His sharp reflexes were unlike anything anyone has ever seen before.

 

“Wow that was amazing!” Carl said in shock.

 

“I've never seen anyone move like that before.” Merle said just as surprised.

 

Rick looked at the arrow in his hand then at Daryl. Daryl only gave Rick a small nod. He knew of Rick's special gifts and kept his secret safe. Rick wasn't ready to tell people about his abilities. No just yet.

 

Just then, Deanna showed up in Daryl and Rick's backyard for a visit.

 

“How are we all doing this fine day?” Deanna asked.

 

“We're good thank you.” Rick politely answered.

 

“Come with me. I have something to show you. Everyone is invited to join.” Deanna said as she gestured everyone to the radio tower which was right next to Carl's school.

 

Deanna lead Rick inside the small radio studio and pointed to something very interesting. It was a frequency radio.

 

“Spencer found it on one of his supply runs the other day. I thought you might do the honors and be the first to broadcast a message.” Deanna offered.

 

Rick rubbed the palm of his hand to the old box and gave a half smile. He picked up the hand microphone and thought of something he should say. Rick's smile widened. He knew just the right words.

 

~~My name is Rick Grimes.~~

~~I'm one of many survivors living in Alexandria, a safe-zone in West Virginia.~~

~~We can provide food. We can provide shelter. We can provide security.~~

~~If you are out there. If anybody is out there.~~

~~Please~~

~~You are not alone.~~

~~There is still hope.~~

 

 

**Finis**

 

 

***I made a soundtrack to go with this fanfiction. These songs inspired each and every one of the chapters written. If interested, it can be found here at[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPZTOYodF2w).* **


End file.
